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Arts & Culture

GREAT PERFORMANCES: An American In Paris The Musical

Robert Fairchild and Leanne Cope in "An American In Paris The Musical."
Courtesy of Johan Persson
Robert Fairchild and Leanne Cope in "An American In Paris The Musical."

Airs Friday, Nov. 2, 2018 at 8:30 p.m. on KPBS 2 + Sunday, Nov. 4 at Noon on KPBS TV

Relive the magic of "An American In Paris" with this new production recorded in London in 2017.

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.

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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.

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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. GREAT PERFORMANCES is produced by THIRTEEN Productions LLC for WNET, one of America’s most prolific and respected public media providers. Bill O’Donnell is series producer and David Horn is executive producer.