Header Image: An American in Paris. Image Credit: Tristram Kenton
Producer GWB Entertainment together with The Australian Ballet and the Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC) has today shared information on whom will be performing in the Australian Premiere season of An American in Paris, set to commence in the QPAC Lyric Theatre from 8 to 30 January 2022 inclusive. The season includes a range of talent from both musical theatre and ballet scenes, uniting two forms of performing arts that have been forced into uncertain hiatuses over the past couple of years.
From Paris, Broadway and West End, Robert Fairchild and Leanne Cope will reprise their roles as the American GI Jerry Mulligan and the young Parisian dancer Lise Dassin. The production will also see two of Australia’s “leading lights”, Cameron Holmes and Dimity Azoury also alternating in the lead roles. The remainder of the lead cast includes Anne Wood as Madame Baurel, David Whitney as Monsieur Baurel, Ashleigh Rubenach as Milo Davenport, Jonathan Hickey as Adam Hochberg, and Sam Ward as Henri Baurel. More about the lead cast members can be found on the next page.
This is not an exhaustive list of performers however, with a 33-strong ensemble cast of dancers, singers and actors joining them on-stage. These include Annie Stanford, Mitchell Mahony, Christina Gibbs, Rachael Ward, Chloe Malek, Amba Fewster, James MacAlpine, Rose Shannon-Duhigg, Joe Miller, Edward Smith, Joe Meldrum, Francis Lawrence, Sarah Bourke, Lilyana Lloyd, Olivia Castagna, Eli Cooper, Sydney Patterson, Emma Whitefield, Thomas Norman and Emily Corkeron.
Auditioning for An American in Paris has been a revelation of the wealth of top-level talent in Australia and I feel blessed with the choices we have been able to make in casting the show – never an easy task. This is a truly wonderful group of performers to bring the production to the stage.
And to be able to bring Robbie Fairchild and Leanne Cope back to reprise their roles from Paris, Broadway and the West End alongside the superb Australian Ballet duo of Dimity Azoury and Cameron Holmes is the absolute icing on this beautiful cake.
Christopher Wheeldon – Director and Choreographer
An American in Paris is based on the original George Gershwin orchestral piece and the 1951 musical comedy film which first launched at Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris in December 2014 and the Palace Theatre, Broadway in 2015 – walking away with four Tony Awards on top of many other nominations that same year. The musical production features a book by Craig Lucas, set and costume designs by Bob Crowley, lighting design by Natasha Katz, and music by George and Ira Gershwin. The musical score is adapted, arranged and supervised by Rob Fisher, with orchestrations by Christopher Austin, dance arrangements by Sam Davis, musical supervision by Todd Ellison, additional orchestrations by Don Sebesky and Bill Elliott and musical direction by Vanessa Scammell. The Australian creative team behind An American in Paris includes direction by Christopher Wheeldon, staging by Hannah Ryan, dance direction by Sean Kelly, choreography by Stuart Winter and sound design by Kelvin Gedye.
An American in Paris will begin its Australian premiere tour in QPAC’s Lyric Theatre, followed by performances in Adelaide, Perth, Melbourne and Sydney. Tickets to the Brisbane season are now available via the QPAC website or by calling the official QTIX team on 136 246.
