Interview: Veanne Cox Soars in AN AMERICAN IN PARIS

It's no mystery why An American in Paris was nominated for 12 Tony awards, including Best Musical. This gorgeous dance-centered production, directed and choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon, is a revelation of movement, sound and story, said Veanne Cox, who plays Madame Baurel.

Inspired by the acclaimed 1951 movie starring Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron, this iteration plumbs emotional depths through music and romance in the City of Light. Cox attributes the new musical's success to a combination of factors-the music and lyrics (George and Ira Gershwin), the book by Craig Lucas and set and costumes by Bob Crowley, for starters.

Robert Fairchild (Jerry Mulligan), a principal dancer with New York City Ballet who's making his Broadway debut, and the luminous Leanne Cope (Lise Dassin), who was trained at the Royal Ballet School, form the emotional heart of the story, which unfolds in post-World War II Paris.

"I think it's timeless for a number of reasons," Cox said. "It has the Gershwin music, which will always stand the test of time. It could be put in a time capsule and be appreciated by any life forms that open it.

"There's also this quality of movement, in the movie performed by Gene Kelly, and now in Robert," she said. The musical transcends time, she said. "The story creates an extraordinary facility with movement that becomes art. Our show is definitely not just a book or a movie or a piece of art in a museum," Cox said. "It is about living, breathing, story-telling art."

­­This traditional Broadway musical inspires her every performance. "It's a romantic story of falling in love in order to survive, evident in the three men who are in love with the same woman," she said.

"All three men served in the war and realize something's missing in their lives. They need to fall in love to get past what they've been through," she said.

This is Cox's seventh Broadway show and one of her most memorable. "It's nice to be in a show that's being recognized by such vast age groups," she said.

"Many people have come up to me and said the show is an adult show, it strives to hit on more mature ideas. Having said that, there are kids waiting for us every night at the stage door, thrilled with what they've just seen."

The production touches on themes of sacrifice, courage and valor expressed through graceful movement and dance, she said. "It's a play even in the dance-it's like you're watching words," she said. "The movement is telling a story and this kind of dance, of ballet, is extremely rare, [on Broadway] and it works.

"In terms of its passion, it borders on eroticism but not in a crass way," Cox said. "There's also a passion for connection. All the dancers in the ensemble succeed in an extraordinary level in telling a compelling story."

The play fleshes out the movie, enriching characters with a more in-depth examination of Parisians and soldiers after the Nazi occupation.

Mulligan, an ex G.I. and an artist, falls in love with Lise, a shop girl. "It's a love story in a time of desire for renewal," Cox said. Madame Baurel is a guarded woman with a secretive nature, complex and protective, Cox said. "It's not an easy part and I don't jump to the theater thinking, 'This is going to be fun.' Basically, my character never reveals herself, others reveal her. She has a mysterious quality I had to connect with. I invest myself in the characters around me.

"I have to own the gravitas," Cox said. "I think she's motivated by her desire to save her family and what she believes in, which is art.

"There's a passionate depth, a sexual depth in the dancing," she said, "and we can't pay enough tribute to the great choreography." Cox has been humbled by the sweeping accolades the production has received. "To expect an audience to willingly participate financially and emotionally-something that requires them to sit and make their own connection is a wonderful feat."

Cox furthered her understanding of her character through the period costumes worn during the play.

"Bob presented me with a photograph of a woman in a dress he was going to use as one of my character's dresses in the show," she said.

"This was in the early days of the design process. He wanted my input and when he showed me this picture-an actual woman wearing the dress in the late '30s, early 40s, it took me three seconds to have my scope of vision expanded," she said. "I was breathless."

She told Crowley that woman was Madame Baurel. "The way she held herself, the look on her face, the way she held her body-she is my muse." Cox, a New York actress for almost 33 years, grew up in Virginia and was a ballerina before she became an actress. "I feel like my life has come full circle," she said. "In my soul I am still a ballerina, so for me to be in this play with the best dancers in the world has been inspirational."

"Their passion and commitment reminds me of when I was young," Cox said. "The story begins from the ashes of war, and the beginning ballet and the end dance are worth the price of admission."

Cox prepares for every performance by doing exercises that include meditation, yoga, breath and voice. "Okay, I lied," she said. "I only do it once on two-show days."

An American in Paris is playing at the Palace Theatre, 1564 Broadway between 47th and 48th Streets.