The music of George Gershwin has been the basis for a number of shows over recent years - from the little-known My One And Only through to the ever-popular Crazy For You. The latest show to be created from his extensive library (not forgetting of course, lyrics by his brother Ira) is American In Paris, which Broadway Masterworks have recently graced us with as their latest cast album release.

Nominated for Twelve 2015 Tony Awards including Best Musical, the score of An American In Paris includes the songs 'I Got Rhythm', 'Liza', '’S Wonderful', 'But Not For Me', 'I’ll Build a Stairway to Paradise, and orchestral music including 'Concerto in F', 'Second Prelude', 'Second Rhapsody/Cuban Overture' and 'An American In Paris'. With a score like that, what can go wrong!?

Inspired by the Academy-Award winning film, An American In Paris is the romantic story of a young American soldier, a beautiful French girl and an indomitable European city, each yearning for a new beginning in the aftermath of war. The cast includes Robert Fairchild as Jerry Mulligan, Leanne Cope as Lise Dassin, Veanne Cox as Madame Baurel, Jill Paice as Milo Davenport, Brandon Uranowitz as Adam Hochberg, and Max von Essen as Henri Baurel.

This is a great cast recording, and if it were a stick of rock it would have ‘Broadway’ all of the way through. The songs are uniformly excellent - what do you expect from Gershwin - although much of this credit should go to the music team of Rob Fisher, Christopher Elliot, Don Sebesky and Bill Elliott, who really bring the score to life. The two big orchestral numbers in the show ‘Concerto in F’ and ‘An American In Paris’ are as good as I have ever heard them, and really add to the recording - and benefit from the additional of an extra 8 people on top of the already great-sounding 19 piece orchestra in the theatre.

Vocal wise, there were no real stand-outs for me - all were good, and give us more than competent renditions of the Gershwin standards. The men are the stars, and I did find myself enjoying 'Fidgety Feet' and 'I’ve Got Beginner’s Luck' probably more than the others.

8

Ian Gude