An American In Paris on Great Performances

[Call_me_jorge]

Anyone watch this last night?

[Tennis Fan]

I did! Loooovved it -- thought it was grrrreat!!!

[Bwayfan292]

I tried so hard to enjoy it but I fell asleep

[dmwnc1959]

It’s also available on PBS.org to stream. Just finished watching it and loved it. Saw the National Tour last June when it came through Pittsburgh. Loved it then as well. Great music, wonderful singing, and superb dancing!

[theaterdarling]

Regretted not seeing it in NY and could not make it to the film capture of same, so was really excited when PBS announced it for GREAT PERFORMANCES, especially given all the praise heaped upon it.

So much good in the gorgeous dance, sets, costumes, staging, and (of course) music. Fairchild and Cope were stunners when dancing and this alone was worth a viewing. However, bad acting and a hideous book weighed down all that s'wonderfulness.

I could expect that professional ballet dancers would have a certain stiffness in the non-dance department in their first time out as leads, but what was everybody else's excuse? Cringe-y performances all-round. Wheeldon's weakness/lack of experience directing actors was apparent and not helped at all by Lucas' terrible dialogue. Pacing always seemed off in the book scenes. While watching, I was stunned that Uranowitz and Von Essen received Tony nominations. 

If you go back and watch the movie--yes, I know, a classic-- but, if we are all honest, the dialogue in the movie does not wear well, Too bad Lucas could not improve upon it to match the other laudable components of the stage version.  I so wanted to love it all.

[bear88]

I didn't love it on tour, as I thought the book's attempt at seriousness didn't work and was terribly clunky, but it had its moments. And sitting in the loge allowed me to enjoy the dance and some of the staging.

Seeing it on television only reminded me of what didn't work. But I'll stick up for the movie. It's a product of its time, and not as good as Singin' in the Rain, but the movie is a lot of fun and soars in a way the stage version simply couldn't replicate even when it tried.

[mamaleh]

The absences of Von Essen and especially Uranowitz are what brought the level of enjoyment down for me. The actor playing Adam, Uranowitz’ role, sounded like he was a reject from the Dead End kids with a way overly exaggerated “New Yawk” street guy accent. So totally unnecessary and ugh.

[Call_me_jorge]

I too wish they filmed this with the broadway cast.

[Someone in a Tree2]

We luckily recorded it Friday night-- caught all of Act I then and watched Act II last night. It reminded us all over again how very much we loved Act I (maybe one of the best nights of pure musical theater we've seen in the last dozen years), and how very, very much we detested Act II. Seeing closeups of Leslie and Robby were a swell treat, though we sorely missed all the other stars of the original Bway company who were replaced by the time of this taping. 

As a record of the most gorgeously conceived physical production of a musical in years (staging, sets, lighting, costumes, projections) this taping has no peer and will be rewatched again and again. The fact that they could never solve the impossible second act (and disastrously uninvolving final ballet) is easily ignored by switching the thing off at the Act I curtain.

[broadwaybabywannabe2]

I agree totally with the previous poster. I have never seen a more gorgeous production. And the second one act made me tire. Also the orchestra sounded tinny. I thought it sounded better live on Broadway. But that being said I recommend watching for the dances the costumes and sets and the two leads. Robert Fairchild's dancing is sublime and he is so handsome he could be the next Fred Astaire!

[LuPita2]

 "I was stunned that Uranowitz and Von Essen received Tony nominations."

They were not in this broadcast so why were you stunned?  You said you did not see this on Broadway, therefore did not see them.  They were both amazing.  You didn't see them on PBS since that was the London cast.  

[BrodyFosse123]

Exactly.  This is the original London cast and not the original Broadway cast.   This was filmed in London, not Broadway.   

[sabrelady]

Agree w the physical production being gorgeous. 

Songs are Top level Gershwin so fabulous. 

The Dancing is sublime and the singing much better than I would have expected form ballet dancers.

The book still sucks gas and the whole gay sub-subplot STILL doesn't play well.

 

[theaterdarling]

LuPita2 said: ""I was stunned that Uranowitz and Von Essen received Tony nominations."

They were not in this broadcast so why were you stunned? You said you did not see this on Broadway, therefore did not see them. They were both amazing. You didn't see them on PBS since that was the London cast."

Absolutely my big mistake. Made a huge assumption it was the NY cast. Did not realize they filmed the London cast. Couldn't figure out why Uranowitz did not look like how I remembered him--but had only seen him if "Falsettos". So sure it was filmed in NY that did not even check the disconnect. Was not familiar with Von Essen so would never have noticed it was not him. The Tony noms now make sense. I deserve all swings taken at me.

 

 

[BwayLB]

I just DVRed on Friday and now here i am after viewing it. Already seen the national tour last year in Costa Mesa. But seeing Fairchild and Cope reunite to recreate Jerry and Lise made this telecast more exciting. The staging and choreography is perhaps some of the most stunning I’ve seen in the theatre. And the collection of Gershwin songs is nothing short of whimsical

[bwayrose7]

I've seen both the original Broadway cast and the original national tour cast, and these actors on the London broadcast are far and away the dullest I've seen. Fairchild and Cope were exquisite, of course, and it reminded me of how much I loved all the physical/visual aspects of the production. But as for the Henri and the Adam - yikes. No charm, no humor.