(Cover Photo: Samantha Barnes as “Lise Dassin" with the CAST of the musical "AN AMERICAN IN PARIS" by George and Ira Gershwin now playing at Reagle Music Theatre in Waltham, MA. through August 18, 2024. Photo Credit: Robert Pascucci)

By Kevin T. Baldwin

METRMAG Reviewer

# 774-242-6724

“Shall we give in to despair? Or, shall we dance with never a care."

- ("Milo Davenport") / George and Ira Gershwin

Reagle Music Theatre of Greater Boston  

Presents the Gershwin Musical 

"AN AMERICAN IN PARIS"

Book by Craig Lucas 

Music by George Gershwin 

Lyrics by Ira Gershwin

Originally produced on Broadway by Stuart Orken, Van Kaplan and Roy Furman

Directed and Choreographed by Artistic Director Rachel Bertone

Music Director and Conductor Dan Rodriguez

Cast Includes: Jack Mullen* as “Jerry Mulligan,” Samantha Barnes as “Lise Dassin,” Jared Troilo* as “Adam Hochberg,” Christopher Lewis as “Henri Baurel,” Rebekah Rae Robles as “Milo Davenport,” Carolyn Saxon* as “Madame Baurel,” Jean-Alfred Chavier as “Monsieur Baurel,” Melissa Paz as “Olga,” Dom Pappagallo as “Mr. Z,” Ensemble - Olivia Aniceto, Eliza Barmakian, Sarah Cammarata, Aimée Coleman, Audrey Curdo, Nina-Simone Diaz, Tori Heinlein*, Sean Keim, Miki Grubic, Sam Guida, Jaden Tai Martinez*, Willy Rory Nelson, Jessica Nichter, Dom Pappagallo, Melissa Paz, Shae Reynolds, Brooke Sessler, Eli Schulman, Nate Walsh*, Alexa Powell Wang*

Additional Creative Team:

Producer - Jay Pension; Production Stage Manager - Brian M. Robillard*; Assistant Stage Managers - Vanessa C. Hart*, Em Ross*; Production Associate - Em Ross; Company Manager - Erica Jurus; Set Design - Cameron McEachern; Lighting Design - Franklin Meissner, Jr.**; Sound Design - Sebastian Nixon; Associate Director and Choreographer - Dustienne Miller; Associate Music Director - Mindy Cimini; Assistant Director - Sophie Pratt; Orchestra Contractor - Jeff Leonard; Dramaturg - Sarah Gruber; Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Consulting - Art & Soul Consulting Dance Captain - Alexa Powell Wang*; Dialect Coaches - Allie Jameson, Kirsten Salpini; Technical Director - Lori E. Baruch; Set Construction - Wooden Kiwi Productions; Audio 1 - Sebastian Nixon; Audio 2 - Ryan Pereira; Costumes Construction - Emerald City Theatrical; Wardrobe Supervisor - Hannah Schuurman; Stitchers - Olivia Lancellotta, Raegan White; Wig Supervisor - Johnny Cagno; Props Master – David Allen Prescott; Run Crew - Adam Assarian, Cassidy Kalke, Ethan McDonnell, V Molina; Electrician Lead, Staffing Consultant - Craig Robertson; Electrics Crew - Sophie Boucher, Larry Dysart, Martina Grein, Nate Kelleher, Sebastian Nixon, Ryan Pereira, Roz Umbrell, Crystal VanArtsdalen; Follow Spot Operators - Em Ross, Roz Umbrell, Robert “Mocha” Crisafulli; Scenic/Electrics Support - Sebastian Nixon; Photography & Videography - Robert Pascucci.

*Appearing through the courtesy of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States 

**Credited as a member of United Scenic Artists

Performances: 

August 9, 2024 through August 18, 2024

(Contact Box Office for Exact Times)

Robinson Theatre, REAGLE MUSIC THEATRE, 617 Lexington St. Waltham, MA 02452

TICKETS:            

https://www.reaglemusictheatre.org/

By Phone # 781-891-5600

Box Office Window:  Located under the Reagle Music Theatre marquee at Waltham High School. Box Office Hours: Monday through Friday, 10:00am until 4:00pm

COVID 19 PROTOCOLS

Contact Venue for Most Updated COVID-19 Safety Protocols and Information.

Concluding a fabulous summer season, Reagle Music Theatre of Greater Boston has saved their best musical production for last with the Gershwin dance masterpiece, "AN AMERICAN IN PARIS" and absolutely must not be missed.    

Inspired by the 1951 film of the same name, this adaptation for the stage is by Christopher Wheeldon. 

Containing songs by brothers George and Ira Gershwin, the book for "AN AMERICAN IN PARIS" was written by Craig Lucas. 

"AN AMERICAN IN PARIS" made its debut on Broadway in 2015 where it ran for 623 performances and 29 preview performances. 

The show’s U.S. National Touring production began in Boston in 2016, ending in 2018. 

Now, the creative team at Reagle Music Theatre brings to life a simply gorgeous staging filled with incredible talent. 

Guaranteed, you will not find better dancing in any other musical production happening right now than on the Reagle stage in Waltham. 

Widely considered Gene Kelly’s choreographed masterpiece, the film "AN AMERICAN IN PARIS" was directed by legendary filmmaker Vincente Minnelli (and Kelly). 

Of the musical numbers in the original 1951 film, the show retains "I Got Rhythm," "'S Wonderful," "(I’ll Build a) Stairway to Paradise" and the orchestral pieces “Concerto in F” and the show’s title number.  

"AN AMERICAN IN PARIS" would go on to win a slew of awards, with accolades including four Tony Awards (with one being for Best Choreography), three Outer Critics Circle Awards, a Drama League Award, four Drama Desk Awards, and more. 

Using the bottom steps of the Eiffel Tower as background, the story of "AN AMERICAN IN PARIS" begins in 1945, just at the end of the Second World War and about a year after the liberation of France. 

(Photo: Jared Troilo as “Adam Hochberg” in a scene from the musical "AN AMERICAN IN PARIS" by George and Ira Gershwin now playing at Reagle Music Theatre in Waltham, MA. through August 18, 2024. Photo Credit: Robert Pascucci)

To avoid redundancy, let’s just say at the outset that ALL the principals for "AN AMERICAN IN PARIS" are “triple threats” (accomplished veteran actors, singers and dancers). 

Our guide for the story is composer Adam Hochberg (Jared Troilo), a wounded veteran and pianist, whose war injuries have left him with a permanent limp. 

Troilo is completely inviting as Adam, who leads us into the story and tells us a little about the characters we are about to meet. 

Recently discharged soldier, Jerry Mulligan (Jack Mullen), has just arrived in Paris. 

During the show’s superb opening dance ballet-style number, "Concerto in F," Mulligan is instantly smitten by a mysterious Parisian girl, Lise (Samantha Barnes), although she eludes him before he learns who she is. 

Mullen is fabulous as the energetic Jerry who intentionally misses his train back home to the states, determined to stay in Paris to become an artist. 

(Photo: Samantha Barnes as “Lise Dassin" with Jack Mullen as “Jerry Mulligan” in a scene from the musical "AN AMERICAN IN PARIS" by George and Ira Gershwin now playing at Reagle Music Theatre in Waltham, MA. through August 18, 2024. Photo Credit: Robert Pascucci)

Jerry meets Adam and the two have instant chemistry. 

Adam introduces Jerry to his French buddy, Henri Baurel (Christopher Lewis), whose parents, the Baurels (played by Carolyn Saxon and Jean-Alfred Chavier), are wealthy French industrialists. 

Adam, Jerry and Henri bond together as they imagine a prolific post-war Paris in the exhilarating and most memorable uplifting number, "I Got Rhythm." 

While the book by Lucas is rather thin, with a pretty standard storyline, it is the fact each of the characters we meet brings with them an overlapping “wound” from the war, be it physical, mental or emotional by nature. 

Some wounds are held quite secretly until fate intervenes, bringing all these people together and thus revealing all. 

(Photo: Christopher Lewis as “Henri Baurel” performing with the CAST of the musical "AN AMERICAN IN PARIS" by George and Ira Gershwin now playing at Reagle Music Theatre in Waltham, MA. through August 18, 2024. Photo Credit: Robert Pascucci)

Among his many secrets, Henri has a secret desire to become a famous singer. 

As sympathetically portrayed by Christopher Lewis, Henri fears his parents' disapproval of his dreams of being an entertainer. 

As such, Henri acquiesces to his parents’ wish that he marries Lise, who also carries with her a secret connection to the family which is revealed as events unfold. 

Accompanist Adam takes Jerry to the Paris ballet to sketch the dancers during auditions. 

American patron, Milo Davenport (Rebekah Rae Robles) is immediately taken by Jerry, both for his artwork and for his looks. 

Robles is equally strong and effervescent as Milo, who invites Jerry to a party to introduce him to gallery owners, Henri's parents. 

(Photo: Samantha Barnes as “Lise Dassin" with the CAST of the musical "AN AMERICAN IN PARIS" by George and Ira Gershwin now playing at Reagle Music Theatre in Waltham, MA. through August 18, 2024. Photo Credit: Robert Pascucci)

After numerous chance encounters, Jerry finds Lise again and instantly professes his intentions, through one of the show’s many energetic numbers, "I've Got Beginners' Luck." 

At first, Lise resists but soon warms up to Jerry, although she feels she must continue to resist to honor her shared secret with the Baurels by marrying Henri. 

Other fabulous dance numbers include the Gershwin classics, “'S Wonderful,” “Second Rhapsody/Cuban Overture,” “Fidgety Feet,” the blockbuster “(I’ll Build a) Stairway to Paradise” and, of course, the show’s main title ballet sequence, "AN AMERICAN IN PARIS."   

There are also some perfectly rendered solos, including Mullen with “Liza,” "The Man I Love" sung by Barnes, and “Shall We Dance” by Robles. 

Troilo and Robles also sing the tender duet of pining over unrequited love, “But Not for Me,” and Troilo “accompanies” Robles and Lewis (on an incredibly in tune faux piano) for “Who Cares?” 

(Photo: The CAST of the musical "AN AMERICAN IN PARIS" by George and Ira Gershwin now playing at Reagle Music Theatre in Waltham, MA. through August 18, 2024. Photo Credit: Robert Pascucci)

The live orchestra conducted by Music Direction Dan Rodriguez never falters in their execution of the beautiful, intricate Gershwin score. 

Samantha Barnes is simply breathtaking as Lise, slowly revealing the multiple layers of one of the more complex characters in the show, while being equally compelling in Lise's many required dance numbers. 

This is a dancer’s show - a show that truly celebrates dance as how it should be in musical theatre - and the incredibly talented ensemble dancers on display in the Reagle production of "AN AMERICAN IN PARIS" are simply, in a word, phenomenal. 

Under the “en pointe” guidance of director and choreographer Rachel Bertone, ALL of the other combined technical elements from set design, lighting, sound, costumes, props were spectacular. 

Scene changes were fluid from start to finish.  

Quite succinctly, this is a fabulous musical for anyone who enjoys a classic love story filled with joyously, impeccably staged balletic dancing. 

If you fall into the above category of musical appreciation, then do yourself a favor and grand jeté over to Waltham for one of the remaining performances of "AN AMERICAN IN PARIS."

For tickets or more information, check out Reagle Music Theatre by visiting them online at https://www.reaglemusictheatre.org/ or by calling them at # 781-891-5600.  

Approximately 2 hours, 45 minutes including intermission

Kevin T. Baldwin is a member of the American Theatre Critics Association (ATCA)

@MetrmagReviews 

@Theatre_Critics  

ABOUT THE SHOW 

"AN AMERICAN IN PARIS" is a story of finding love, happiness, and a new lease on life. 

The musical is set in the City of Lights, Paris, as it emerges from the shadows of World War II. 

As the weight of the Nazi Occupation begins to lift, the city’s inhabitants come alive and rediscover life’s grandest possibilities. An American veteran and aspiring painter, Jerry, is still reeling from the war when he discovers the girl of his dreams: Lise, a captivating young dancer at the ballet. 

Jerry falls in love with the mystery girl as soon as he spots her in a crowd on the street. 

By chance or fate, Jerry and Lise are brought together at a ballet rehearsal, where Jerry has come to visit his friend Adam, the company’s composer. 

While there, Jerry catches the eye of Milo, an American heiress and Adam’s patron. 

To add more confusion to this love triangle, Lise is already engaged to marry Henri, a rich young business man, who dreams of being a performer, himself. 

But does Lise truly love Henri? 

Or is Jerry, the American stranger, the man she is meant to love? 

And even if she loves Jerry, can Lise find a way to move on from the fact that Henri’s family saved her life during the war? 

Set to some of the George and Ira Gershwin’s most timeless music, "AN AMERICAN IN PARIS" brings both complexity and joy to the journey of Lise, Jerry, and their friends, as they fall in love, follow their dreams, and celebrate the most wonderful joys of being alive. (STAGEAGENT) 

ABOUT REAGLE MUSIC THEATRE OF GREATER BOSTON

REAGLE MUSIC THEATRE OF GREATER BOSTON's mission is to present the highest quality of musical theatre productions by combining talented regional performers with professional performers and technicians, thus providing an unusual learning experience for its regular members and more enjoyable experiences for its audiences. REAGLE MUSIC THEATRE is committed to using the skills of its company to strengthen and enhance teaching and learning in the Waltham Public Schools by educating youth to the joys of theatre, and by using theatre techniques to enhance learning in other curriculum areas. Our offerings include musicals, concerts, revues, educational programming, New York theatergoing trips, and more.

REAGLE MUSIC THEATRE OF GREATER BOSTON, INC.

617 LEXINGTON STREET

WALTHAM, MA 02452

PHONE: 781-891-5600

FAX: 781-701-0750

www.reaglemusictheatre.org