Christopher Wheeldon on An American in Paris

December 2, 2014

The musical theater gods have showered us with love—or, rather, with two behind-the-scenes videos from Christopher Wheeldon’s new An American in Paris! And their timing is perfect: The show opens tonight in The City of Lights.

I prefer the video with Wheeldon (the show’s director) and Craig Lucas (the show’s writer) talking about the production—because in addition to highlighting Wheeldon’s delightful British accent, it also gives us a peek at the choreography. I mean, who doesn’t love watching dancers (like the show’s star, and New York City Ballet principal Robert Fairchild) in rehearsal? Plus, Wheeldon discusses remaking the classic movie, and the challenges that come with both leaving the original behind and maintaining the integrity of the story and score. Check it out:

The second video is all photos, taken by dancer-turned-photographer Matt Trent. They’re lovely, and set to Gershwin ‘s timeless score (naturally):

An American in Paris
runs at the Théâtre du Châtelet through January 4. And luckily for Americans not in Paris, the musical is slated to open on Broadway this April. Get tickets here.