Luke Hawkins, Sareen Tchekmedyian & More to Star in AN AMERICAN IN PARIS at Musical Theatre West

Musical Theatre West has announced the cast of its spring production, An American in Paris. The captivating cast will bring Director and Choreographer Jeffry Denman's toe-tapping homage of the original film to life this April, and boasts talent seen on Broadway, national tours, regional stage, screen, and more! MTW's An American in Paris will run for three weekends on select dates from April 14 - April 30, including a Parisian-inspired red carpet Opening Night celebration on Saturday, April 15. Tickets range from $20 - $125 each and are available by phone at 562-856-1999 or online at musical.org.

Fans of the 1951 film and the show's West Coast premiere at The Hollywood Pantages in 2017 will be delighted with Denman's "S'wonderful" staging of An American in Paris. The award-winning director and choreographer's version has garnered numerous accolades from the east coast and central regional theater, and now he's headed west to debut the reimagined rendition on the Musical Theatre West stage!

"We could not be more thrilled to work with Jeffry and bring this version of An American in Paris to the West Coast," shared Paul Garman, Executive Director and Producer of Musical Theatre West. "The brilliant cast and creative team are going to immerse audiences in a classic Hollywood musical movie, and we look forward to welcoming film, dance, music, and theater lovers alike to experience this enchanting production at Musical Theatre West."

Featuring fan-favorite songs like "S' Wonderful," "I Got Rhythm," and "Shall We Dance?", MTW's An American in Paris will tell 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. Hoping to start a new life, veteran Jerry Mulligan chooses newly-liberated Paris as the place to make a name for himself as a painter. But Jerry's life becomes complicated when he meets Lise, a young Parisian shop girl with her own secret, and realizes he is not her only suitor.

Sareen Tchekmedyian will make her Musical Theatre West debut as the lovely leading lady Lise, a passionate Parisian ballet dancer (Anastasia 1st National Tour; Barak Ballet: Wein, The Queen has Arrived). The role of Jerry, a charismatic, tap-dancing expat played in the film by Gene Kelly, will be brought to life by Luke Hawkins (Broadway's Xanadu, Harry Connick Jr's A Tribute to Cole Porter; Regional Mary Poppins, West Side Story; "Hail Caesar!"). Louis Pardo will take on the role of Adam, a Jewish-American songwriter searching for his authentic artist voice (Jesus Christ Superstar National Tour; Diversionary Theater's Pippin; Hair at The Hollywood Bowl), while Henri, the sensitive Parisian who secretly dreams of dance, will be played by Michael Bullard (Broadway's Aladdin; Musical Theatre West's 9 to 5, Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella).

Dancer and Broadway star Leslie Stevens (Broadway's La Cage Aux Folles, Victor/Victoria) will bring the laughs as the uptight but well-meaning Madame Baurel, and Rebecca Ann Johnson (MTW's Big Fish, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels; "Community", "The Mindy Project") will portray the get-what-she-wants Milo Davenport. The rest of 1940s Paris will be brought to life with talent well-known to the Southern California stage and dance scene to tell the story through tap, jazz, ballet, song, and more.

"Jerry speaks in American Jazz and Tap dance while Lise speaks in Ballet. This production of the musical will highlight those differences with updated dance numbers from the previous Broadway iteration of the show, which was heavily ballet-focused," said Director/Choreographer Jeffry Denman.

Denman shared that he looked to the original 1951 film that leaned into Jerry (Gene Kelly) and Lise (Leslie Caron) having two decisively different dance languages which parallel their cultural differences. Some exciting choreography changes include "Stairway to Paradise," updated from a tap routine to a 1940s musical theater-style dance number to highlight how the French character Henri wants to be an American star. Besides the pirouettes, a unique "spin" in Musical Theatre West's production will include a turntable set, where everything from the actors, set pieces, and scene transitions will be "dancing" to create some truly magical moments.

Musical Theatre West's production of An American in Paris will premiere at the Carpenter Performing Arts Center on select dates, April 14 - April 30, 2023, with a special ASL Interpreted Performance on Friday, April 21. Tickets start at $20 - $125, and are available for purchase by phone at 562-856-1999 or online at musical.org. Fees may apply. Student rush tickets for $15 are available at the Box Office 1 hour prior to showtime, with a valid student ID. More information, a full line-up of performances, and additional details can be found at https://musical.org.

CAST:

• Sareen Tchekmedyian - Lise Dassin

• Luke Hawkins - Jerry Mulligan

• Louis Pardo - Adam Hochberg

• Michael Bullard - Henri Baurel

• Rebecca Ann Johnson - Milo Davenport

• Leslie Stevens - Madame Baurel

• Martin Kildare - Monsieur Baurel

• Samantha Bell - Ensemble

• Bianca Brandon - Ensemble

• Quintan Craig - Ensemble

• Giovanni Da Silva - Ensemble

• Matti Endsley - Ensemble

• Brandon Halvorsen - Ensemble

• Antoine Lee - Ensemble

• Ryan Perry Marks - Ensemble, u/s Adam

• Katie Marshall - Ensemble

• Emma Park - Ensemble

• Liza Piccoli - Ensemble, Dance Captain

• Spencer Ramirez - Ensemble

• Liliana Rodriguez - Ensemble

• Lizzy Sheck - Ensemble

• Nicholas Sipes - Ensemble

 

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