They Can't Take That Away... AN AMERICAN IN PARIS Sets Broadway Closing; Looks Ahead to U.S. Tour, London

Just announced, the Tony Award-winning musical An American in Paris will close on Sunday, January 1, 2017. Since the first performance at Broadway's Palace Theatre on March 13, 2015, An American in Paris will have played 719 regular performances and 29 previews.

"AN AMERICAN IN PARIS has been a dream come true for all of us, and we are beyond thrilled with the show's success," said the show's producers Stuart Oken, Van Kaplan and Roy Furman. "We are announcing our closing six months ahead so that as many people as possible can plan to experience the uniqueness and beauty of the show before it leaves Broadway. The production is expected to recoup its entire investment before the end of its Broadway run."

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.

The producers noted that, "With Christopher Wheeldon's vision and leadership, a new book by Craig Lucas, the classic score by George and Ira Gershwin and extraordinary work from our entire creative team, we were able to breathe new life into the beloved film. We will always be proud to say we were the show that gave Christopher Wheeldon his first opportunity to direct and choreograph a Broadway musical. We know it won't be his last.

"AN AMERICAN IN PARIS' journey does not end on Broadway in January. We open our national tour in Boston in October, starring Garen Scribner and Sara Esty, followed by London in March, 2017 led by our original stars Robert Fairchild and Leanne Cope. We are also in discussions with producers in Japan, China and Australia about productions there.

"It's been a remarkable journey, from the very first readings, workshops and rehearsals in New York, to our unprecedented run in Paris and back to New York for a long and healthy run on Broadway. And we are tremendously thankful to every person associated with our show."

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 Garen Scribner 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.

The cast also includes Caitlin Abraham, Alex Aquilino, Kyle Brown, Will Burton, Attila Joey Csiki, Taeler Cyrus, Ashlee Dupré, Sara Esty, Laura Feig, Stephen Hanna, Dimitri Kleioris, Dustin Layton, 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, Scott Willis and Victor J. Wisehart.

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.

Leanne Cope is appearing with the support of Actors' Equity Association. The Producers gratefully acknowledge Actors' Equity Association for its assistance of this production.

Dimitri Kleioris is appearing with the permission of Actors' Equity Association pursuant to an exchange program between American Equity and the MEAA.

Photo Credit: Matthew Murphy