DENNIS, MA – Back by popular demand, An American in Paris returns for a three-week run at the Cape Playhouse. Loosely inspired by the Academy Award® winning film starring Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron (a Cape Playhouse alum), this thrilling ballet-driven musical has it all – song and dance, love and romance, all set to the gorgeous score by George and Ira Gershwin. Adapted for the stage by Christopher Weldon and book by Craig Lucas, the story takes place at the end of the Second World War in Paris, now liberated and free of Nazi occupation. A young American soldier who decides to stay behind in the ‘City of Light’ and pursue his passion for art falls for a beautiful and talented French dancer who longs to be a prima ballerina.
Returning to the Cape Playhouse to direct An American in Paris for the second time is Emmy-winning director, choreographer, and educator Al Blackstone. In addition to An American in Paris, Al has directed and choreographed other reinventions of classical musicals such as Pippin (Music Theater Wichita) and Annie (Axelrod Performing Arts Center), plus many more around the country and Off-Broadway. In 2020 he won an Emmy for his work on the iconic television show So You Think You Can Dance where he has been choreographing since 2016.
The cast is led by Leigh-Ann Esty as Lise Dasson and Josh Drake as Jerry Mulligan. Leigh- Ann’s credits include Roger and Hammerstein’s Carousel (Broadway), the first national tour of An American in Paris, and the regional productions of An American in Paris as Lise Dasson for Drury Lane and the Cape Playhouse. She has also appeared in Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story, HBO’s The Gilded Age, and FX’s Fosse/Verdon. Josh Drake appeared most recently in the original Broadway company of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Bad Cinderella, Disney’s Aladdin (Broadway), and the National Tours of Dirty Dancing and Finding Neverland. Joining them on stage is Manna Nichols who returns to pick up her role as Milo Davenport from last summer’s run of An American in Paris. She recently starred as Marianne in the Playhouse production of Sense and Sensibility.
Following An American in Paris (July 26-August 12), the Cape Playhouse presents Camelot (August 16-26), and Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery(August 30-September 9).
ABOUT THE CAPE PLAYHOUSE
The Cape Playhouse at The Cape Center for the Arts was founded in 1927 by Raymond Moore. His vision
was to create a smart, sophisticated summer theatre with some of the world’s most noted stage and screen
professionals. The realization of Moore’s dream has since been recognized by The New York Times,
acknowledging the Playhouse as the “Place Where Broadway Goes to Summer.” Today, 96 years later, the
theatre continues to feature world-class talent in shows produced specifically for The Cape Playhouse and
is one of Cape Cod’s premier cultural assets. In addition to professional live-theatre experiences, the
not-for-profit Playhouse is committed to youth programs and education. The historic theatre is situated on
an expansive 22-acre campus along with the Cape Cod Museum of Art and the Cape Cinema..
