Premieres Friday, November 2 at 9 p.m. on PBS (check local listings)
Streams Saturday, November 3 at pbs.org/gperf and on PBS apps
Described as an extended symphonic tone poem, George Gershwin’s 1928 composition “An American in Paris” was commissioned by conductor Walter Damrosch and rapidly became one of his most famous compositions. The 1951 MGM film starring Gene Kelly was inspired by Gershwin’s score and became one of the studio’s most acclaimed and famous movie musicals, winning six Academy Awards. In 2015, Paris finally came “home” to Broadway in a thrilling new stage adaptation of the film, directed and choreographed by dance wunderkind Christopher Wheeldon, which earned four Tony Awards. Happily for Broadway, dance and Gershwin fans, the Broadway production makes its television debut on Great Performances with its original stars, Tony nominees Robert Fairchild and Leanne Cope.
Credits
Music and lyrics by George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin, book by Craig Lucas, directed and choreographed for the stage by Christopher Wheeldon. Directed for the screen by Ross MacGibbon and produced by Joshua Andrews, Stuart Oken and Austin Shaw.
