Favorite Songs in An American in Paris

You can check out the OBC Recording on Amazon ($11.99), Spotify, and Youtube!

***This may give away small details from the show, so if you like walking into a broadway show not knowing anything about it you might want to wait until after you've seen this show (if, you plan on seeing it that is) and then read this post...***

Note: I love all of the songs in this musical, and it's quite hard to pick and choose... but right now I am picking the songs that moved me the most and left an impact on me long before I listened again to the recording...


First Act:
Concerto in F- This was just gorgeous. The piano in the first 20 seconds plays to the sound of the nazi flag falling and from there the music gets a proud upbeat, because finally Paris is liberated. When Jerry then salutes the planes flying above, that is his own symbol of starting over and beginning again and really that's what this whole song and the rest of the show is about- new beginnings.

I Got Rhythm- Come on- everybody knows this song! I actually never knew this song came from this musical up until I decided to research it before buying tickets. This is a very feel good song, and it got the people in the cafe excited and cheerful again after the tiredness of the war.

The Man I Love- I am partial to liking this song because it's actually the only time we hear Lise sing. This is in part, I love because of Lise's hopefulness that maybe she will find love and someone who will make her happy. She's not sure of what is yet to come of her future, or the twisted marriage knot she's tied up in. It's in part finding love in someone else, or with the one she is scheduled to marry.

Liza- This is the first time Lise and Jerry really good to know each other. Though arguably, that could be considered to be part of the song, Beginner's Luck. They're is a part in the beginning where they confess to each other the secrets they've kept, and realized they have the same ones. It's here that Lise forgets about her troubles, and accepting Jerry's nickname for her- Liza as a way to start over. You can tell that Jerry is the man she loves, but she doesn't want to think that because of the obligations she has. From here on, they meet in the park for an hour, just as "friends" in secret. Although it is never brought up again, we assume they continue on with this plan as a way to better get to know each other because in the second act it is clear that they have something going for them just by the arguments that get brought up from the problems in the first act.

Second Rhapsody/Cuban Overture- The scene this song plays in is very suspenseful and I won't include the details... leaving you to have some surprise when you watch the movie or see the musical. I like the song over what happens in the musical, so I'll just leave it at that.

Second Act:
But Not for Me: This is heartbreaking, and many of the cast members in a video say that this is one of their favorite songs (see link below). This song occurs right after Milo gets dumped and after the arguments occur between Lise and Jerry at the party. Adam as the narrator and being in love with Lise, takes it upon himself in a self-deprecating way and is accepting the fact that Lise will probably never love him due to what he saw at the party... and what he realized was happening between Lise and Jerry. Milo knew Jerry didn't love her, but she just didn't want to believe in it. The two most heartbreaking lines that come out of this song are "I was a fool to fall and get that way," (Milo) and "When every happy plot turns into a marriage knot," (Adam). Adam is not only mourning the love he lost, but the friendship that came down with it.

I'll Build A Stairway to Paradise: This is a very catchy song with an excellent set design. This is basically the 11 o' clock number, as most people have described it. It's probably the climax of the show, as things start being resolved after the ballet.

They Can't Take That Away From Me: This is basically all of the men- Henri, Adam, and Jerry expecting the worst from this love triangle. Jerry didn't know that Henri would drop Lise off at the park, and that Adam stopped loving her all together. Each one is recalling of the small things they love about Lise and how it'll end up staying in their minds and maybe end up in their music/art. Jerry's "memories" that he sings about amount more to Henri and Adam's because you can tell he's more deeply in love with her than the two other guys. Jerry's memories include- "when she danced till three," and "the way she'd haunt my dreams," and it seems like Lise was on his mind more than just the times he'd see her. When you're in love with someone, you tend to want to observe everything about them, morning and night. Though it isn't sure how Jerry saw Lise dancing at three in the morning, we can assume he watched in secret out the window of the ballet, Jerry would fall asleep after sketching the ballerinas and would wake up and still see Lise dancing, or the ballet was across the way from the apartment Jerry rented above the cafe. But this song... just speaks to me. Maybe it's because of how it's the final number and conclusions are being drawn.

The song works in this show are absolutely brilliant that it is quite hard to pick and choose songs! It is very surprising that this didn't win a TONY award all together, but I found out that this show was already successful and made a lot of money so they wanted to get Fun Home to make money. But I love Fun Home, too but I thought it was already making money before hand. But I guess it does help it make its case, since it's neighbors with Wicked. To be nominated for a TONY is an incredible honor, and I think even that attracts business.


LINKS:
An American in Paris Cast and Creative Song Favorites: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJh2Cu3pn9g)


UPCOMING POSTS:
How to Tell if A Broadway Show is Closing
TONY Awards 2015- Favorite performances and more! (two and a half months late... I just really want to discuss this!!)

Newsies Review- Coming Soon... it has been written but since it gives away a lot of details I will probably trash it because I want you to watch it to find out.

An American in Paris Review

CAST:

Garen Scribner... Jerry Mulligan

Leanne Cope... Lise Dassin

Brandon Uranowitz... Adam Hochberg

Max von Essen... Henri Baurel

Jill Paice... Milo Davenport

Veanne Cox... Madame Baurel 

This show, had me at the verge of tears. The beginning of the show was perfect or 's wonderful, so to speak. I got maybe a little teary- eyed and my heart was in my throat as Adam began to tell the story. As he sat down at his piano, a nazi-flag appeared in front of him... which eventually dropped gracefully to the floor revealing the cast; cheering loudly. The flag got picked up, revealing France's flag in it's blue and red glory as it started being waved around proudly. All of a sudden most of the French celebrating had disappeared only to be summoned by a lone man still in his military uniform. There were what appeared to be about four fighter jets soaring through an ashen, brown sky right over the Arc de Triomphe. What we assumed to be Jerry turned around and saluted the jets passing by. After what felt like an iconic, and strangely powerful scene one of Jerry's friends asked him if he was going to hitch a ride back home. Jerry pretended like he was going to follow right behind his friend, but only ripped up the ticket a short time later and that's how the story began or at least how an american ended up in Paris. 

Everything about this show is simply amazing. The cast, the costumes, the set, the choreography, the plot. The two lead dancers- Garen Scribner and Leanne Cope were absolutely delightful and insanely talented. It was quite surprising to see them sing, too... because we all know they express with their toes. Not their mouths. Brandon Uranowitz was funny, and provided a source of laughter even in the darkest of times during the show. Max von Essen, wasn't necessarily my cup of tea only because I disliked his character... but other than that he was quite the stuck-up only child (now I use the word stuck-up very lightly- Henri wasn't necessarily a whiny person, but very well willing to be in congruence with other people to get what he wants). His mother is quite the same way, only proving this is a sign of inheritance. It is clear that out of Henri's parents, his mother is the most controlling of them leaving the father a lot more accepting of Henri and his secret. Jill Paice, was just plain elegant and charming. Although she was rich like Henri, she liked to keep quiet about it... but let it phase past her when you saw her lavish dresses, and parties. Miss Davenport is quite a fashionable person to be honest. The cast gradually works itself together, and although the plot gets a little tiresome and exaggerated towards the end of Act II the whole plot itself is beautiful like a one of Jerry's paintings. The way Bob Crowley was able to fit the culture of a whole country on a stage is astounding and the way he also picked out costumes that closely matched the era this musical occurs in. 

The plot is beautiful too, a way of a country coming together and reforming. The relationship that Jerry and Lise have, helps to clear the heart break and horrors both of them have seen as victims of war. From the end of war to where the musical leaves off, it is clear that France has come close to becoming back to what it had been before- a city of life and color with as much diversity as New York City has. The story is not just one about love, but forgetting about the past and healing the wounds that came before.

The theater the musical is, is also gorgeous too and frankly quite chilling as in how much it's seen in 102 years. Also, Judy Garland performed there. For 19 weeks. Strange... but quite remarkable. A beautiful theater it is though, with all of it's meticulous details. 

Be sure to check out the gift shop, too... which is decently priced compared to other places. You can buy an espresso cup and look just like Adam by the piano or Lise at the coffee shop!

CONCLUSION:

Highly recommend this show for everyone. Not sure that young kids will like it, but anyone will like it... I promise that this musical isn't just about some Romeo and Juliet, but a story about how a little friendship and love can heal the deepest of wounds. 

Welcome + My Broadway Experience

I would like to welcome you all to The Broadway Journal! I am not quite sure what I would specifically like to use this blog for, but I am going to write some reviews of the few Broadway shows I've seen, as well as recommendations, playlists, and also the latest news. I am excited to share this experience with you all, and sharing my great interest with the rest of the world since my friends have lost interest in me talking about all of this stuff.


  My first Broadway show was on June 8th, 2013. It was a choir field trip in the 8th grade. I didn't really want to go see a show, but I eventually gave in to trying it. The show we saw was Newsies, and I will admit I was a little hesitant to liking the show because after all it was Disney. I expected it to have a plot much like all the other Disney movies, where there's a whole love story with the whole plot put on the back burner. The show ended up being nothing like that at all, and I was in love by intermission. By the time I went home later that night I started looking up, videos of the cast performing and looking at Corey Cott's King of New York Vlog. Needless to say, the youtube recommendations would pop up for other shows and eventually led to me finding Laura Osnes' Princess Diaries. Eventually that led into Bonnie and Clyde (which took me a second to realize, Bonnie was played by the star of Cinderella and Clyde was played by the once star of Newsies). But anyways, instead of blabbing on and on I'll just leave you a master list of all my favorite musicals (although I do love them all)...

1. Newsies
2. Cinderella
3. Bonnie and Clyde
4. Heathers
5. The King and I
6. Fun Home
7. Side Show
8. An American in Paris (I'm going to see this on saturday :D)
9. It Shoulda Been You
10. Beautiful
11. A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder


Upcoming Posts:
-Why Broadway Shows Close
-Review of Newsies/An American in Paris
-Broadway Shows Going on the Road

Suggestions are welcome through the comment section of this blog, or at my ask on tumblr (www.primadonnainmilan.tumblr.com)