"American in Paris" is located on Times Square amid the thousands of bright lights and bustle of New York City. Yet once you step inside the lobby of the Palace Theatre, all of that disappears. The theatre itself is stately and ornate, with gilded decorations gracing the corners. My family and I trekked to the top of the balcony to our seats and stared down at the stage. Unconcerned with the decorations of the antique theatre, the stage contained only a simple piano. It sat, small and plain amid the vast stage. And it was beautiful.
Nowadays, spectacle is the biggest ticket seller and every show wants to one-up their competitors. Considering Phantom of the Opera's success of Broadway, it's increasingly clear that over-the-top costumes and sets epitomize the aura of Broadway. Look at Wicked or Aladdin or Matilda. Even stepping into the theatre, the audience is thrown into the world of the show with fancy backdrops or towering set pieces.*
But here sat the piano. As the overture began, soft strains of music began to rise from the orchestra pit, softer than any overture I had ever heard. A man walks onto the stage and sits at the piano, beginning the narrative. And then, the show takes flight.
"American in Paris" is a love story between a man (Jerry) and a woman (Lise). Of course, it's more complicated than that and involves several confused lovers and twists and turns, but at the very heart, it is a traditional love story. And traditional is the best way to describe the show. Adapted from a 1951 movie and featuring a score by George Gerschwin, the show is absolutely timeless.
But the most beautiful part of the show is the dancing that displays the narrative. The power of dance is unnerving, and I think that power has been lost on Broadway. Amid the glitz and glamour of the spectacle, the simplicity of movement loses its power.
But onstage at the Palace Theatre on an almost blank stage, Jerry and Lise meet eyes for the first time, above the sweet strains of Gerschwin's music, and it is absolutely breathtaking. Dance exposes the raw emotion that humans feel and "American in Paris" allows these emotions to roll through the actor's body and into the audience.
It was the first show that has ever made me cry.
Currently, Broadway is a fighting ground as shows try to push their way to the top by creating the bigger spectacle. But it's turned into a mess. Look at Disaster, American Psycho, or Tuck Everlasting. These shows might have had heart, but it was lost amid the lighting and costumes (or blood). There's a reason they met their doom so quickly.
We want to feel things in art. No longer to we want just a distraction. We long for meaning, seeking it out wherever we can. We want to relate, to emphasize, to understand, and that raw emotion is found through simplicity.
American in Paris is not the only show of it's kind. Bright Star, Waitress, and yes, Hamilton are breaking new grounds in storytelling that distract from the spectacleBut if Broadway ever wants to enter a new golden age, it needs to find it's heart again. I might have lost faith in Broadway for a little while, but American in Paris made me believe in the power of Broadway theatre once again.
If you want to watch more about the show: http://www.playbill.com/video/highlights-from-an-a...
*Let me just say, Wicked remains my favorite Broadway show and I believe spectacle has a definite place on Broadway. However, I strongly believe there should be a balance between the spectacle and the heart of the show.
