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With more than 20 performers involved, “An American in Paris” will feature plenty of dancing.
For the first time, the production partners, JCC Centerstage with Rochester’s Draper Center for Dance Education, the official training school of the Rochester City Ballet. The Draper Center’s artistic director, Jamey Leverett, will choreograph the musical including talent from the Draper Center Dance Ensemble.
Sarah Morgan, a former dancer with California Ballet and Los Angeles Ballet, will make her Rochester debut in a lead role of Lise Dassin. The cast will also feature Joseph Davila as Jerry Mulligan; Lucas Casey as Adam Hochberg; Jennie Gilardoni as Milo Davenport; George Barbari as Henri Baurel; Lori Mele Hawke as Madame Baurel, and Kapil Dass as Monsieur Baurel.
The plot follows Mulligan, an American soldier at the end of World War II, as he attempts to succeed as an artist in Paris. His romantic journey through the city is colored by bright musical numbers and fantastical dance sequences.
The stage musical was inspired by the 1951 film of the same name, both of which won Tony and Oscar awards thanks to intricate dance sequences and iconic songs. Some of George and Ira Gershwin’s most beloved numbers are included such as, “I Got Rhythm,” “The Man I Love,” “S’Wonderful,” and “They Can’t Take That Away from Me.”
In addition to Leverett’s choreography, JCC CenterStage Artistic Director Ralph Meranto will direct the show, with musical direction by Andrew Cooke.
“An American in Paris” is presented by the Cornell/Weinstein Family Foundation and is produced with support from Dawn Lipson, the Nelson B. Delevan Foundation, St John’s, the LGBT+ Giving Circle, and the National Council of Jewish Women.
“An American in Paris” opens at JCC Centerstage on May 3 and runs through May 18. There will be a Post Show Talk back with three-time Tony-winning Broadway Producer Rachel Weinstein after a matinee on May 4.
Jacob Schermerhorn is a Rochester Beacon contributing writer and data journalist.
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