Breaking News: AN AMERICAN IN PARIS Moves Up Final Bow on Broadway

After last month's announcement that the Tony Award-winning musical An American in Paris would close on January 1, 2017 at Broadway's Palace Theatre, the musical's producers have just confirmed an earlier date for its final bow.

Producers Stuart Oken, Van Kaplan and Roy Furman said, "Although it was our intention to play through the end of the year, in reconsidering the current theatrical landscape, we decided it best to close our production of An American in Paris on Broadway on October 9, 2016."

As of October 9, An American in Paris will have played 623 regular performances and 29 previews.

"We are delighted that along with many of our original cast members, our glorious 'Lise,' Leanne Cope, will remain with us to play her final performance before she departs for London to begin preparations for our opening at the Dominion Theatre on March 21, 2017," the producers added in their statement.

"And less than one week after An American in Paris closes on Broadway, our national tour will begin performances on October 14. We are thrilled audiences across the country will soon experience the magic of An American in Paris and the talent of our incredible cast and creative team," they added.

AN AMERICAN IN PARIS received 12 Tony nominations and won 4 for Best Choreography, Best Orchestrations, Best Set Design and Best Lighting Design. The musical also won four Drama Desk Awards, four Outer Critics Circle Awards including Best Musical, the Drama League Award for Best Musical, three Fred and Adele Astaire Awards and two Theatre World Awards.

The musical was included on the Year's Best lists of the Associated Press, Entertainment Weekly, The Hollywood Reporter, The New York Times, The New Yorker, The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and The Wall Street Journal.

AN AMERICAN IN PARIS' journey began almost two years ago with rehearsals in New York followed by a six week run at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris. Beginning performances in Paris allowed the production an extraordinary experience trying out the show in the city where the story is set.

In a city suddenly filled with new possibilities, one young GI will discover his passion for art, his desire for change and the love of his life. An American in Paris is inspired by the Academy Award-winning film and features the music and lyrics of George and Ira Gershwin, the Tony Award-winning choreography of director Christopher Wheeldon and a book by Craig Lucas.

The cast of An American In Paris includes Dimitri Kleioris as Jerry Mulligan, Leanne Cope as Lise Dassin,Veanne Cox as Madame Baurel, Jill Paice as Milo Davenport, Brandon Uranowitz as Adam Hochberg, andMax von Essen as Henri Baurel.

The cast also includes Caitlin Abraham, Alex Aquilino, Kyle Brown, Attila Joey Csiki, Megan Dickinson, Ashlee Dupré, Laura Feig, Stephen Hanna, Derek Hanson, Dustin Layton, Marina Lazzaretto, Cory Lingner, Nathan Madden, Gia Mongell, Christy Morton, Charlotte O'Dowd, Candy Olsen, Kristin Piro, Rebecca Riker, Sam Rogers, Shannon Rugani, Bradley Schlagheck, Jeffrey C. Sousa, Sam Strasfeld, Charlie Sutton, Tory Trowbridge, Mindy Wallace, Allison Walsh, and Scott Willis.

The creative team is comprised of Tony Award-winners Bob Crowley (sets and costumes), Natasha Katz (lighting), Jon Weston (sound), 59 Productions (projections) with the musical score adapted, arranged and supervised by Rob Fisher, orchestrations by Christopher Austin, dance arrangements by Sam Davis, musical supervision by Todd Ellison, and additional orchestrations by Don Sebesky and Bill Elliott. The Associate Director isJacquelin Barrett, Associate Director/Choreographer is Dontee Kiehn. Casting is by Telsey + Company/Rachel Hoffman, C.S.A.

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."

The producers are Stuart Oken, Van Kaplan, Roy Furman, Stephanie P. McClelland, Darren Bagert, Carole L. Haber, James Nederlander, Five Cent Productions, Michael Leavitt, Apples and Oranges Studios/Dominion Pictures, Roger Berlind/Arch Road, Simone Genatt Haft/Marc Routh, Triptyk Studios/Spencer Ross, Ed Walson/Peter May, Adam Zotovich/Celia Atkin, Eugene Beard/Julie Boardman/Kallish-Weinstein, Stuart Ditsky/Jim Herbert/SAndy Robertson, Suzanne Friedman/Independent Presenters Network/Wonderful Productions, The Leonore S. Gershwin 1987 Trust/Jenkins-Taylor/Proctors, Harriet Newman Leve/Jane Dubin/Sarahbeth Grossman, Caiola Productions/Jennifer Isaacson/Raise the Curtain, by special arrangement with Elephant Eye Theatrical, Pittsburgh CLO and Théâtre du Châtelet.

Photo Credit: Matthew Murphy