An American in Paris at the JCC CenterStage May 3-18, 2025
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Inspired by the 1951 Oscar-winning film of the same name, this Tony Award-winning musical is an epic song and dance extravaganza about an American soldier at the end of WWII. An American in Paris premiered at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris in December 2014 and opened on Broadway in April 2015. Nominated for 11 Tony Awards, it won 4, including Best Orchestration and Best Choreography. It also received four Drama Desk Awards, the Drama League Award for Outstanding Production of a Musical, and 4 Outer Critics Circle Awards including Outstanding New Broadway Musical.
This romantic tale of a young American soldier and a beautiful French girl, set against the backdrop of the City of Light, features some of George and Ira Gershwin’s most beloved songs including “I Got Rhythm,” “The Man I Love,” “S’Wonderful,” and “They Can’t Take That Away from Me.”
An American in Paris is a feast for the eyes and the ears and includes breathtaking dance sequences. For the first time, the JCC Centerstage will be partnering with Rochester’s Draper Center. The Draper Center for Dance Education is the premiere ballet school in Monroe County, and the official training school of the Rochester City Ballet. They are considered one of the most distinguished dance training and ballet schools in the United States. An American in Paris will feature the Draper Center Dance Ensemble, and be choreographed by the Draper’s Artistic Director, Jamey Leverett.
The cast features Joseph Davila as Jerry Mulligan, Lucas Casey as Adam Hochberg, Jennie Gilardoni as Milo Davenport; George Barbari as Henri Baurel, Lori Mele Hawke as Madame Baurel, and Kapil Dass as Monsieur Baurel.
Sarah Morgan makes her Rochester debut as Lisa Dassin in An American in Paris. A former dancer with California Ballet and Los Angeles Ballet, Ms. Morgan has performed various works by Balanchine, Robbins, Webre, and Petipa. Some of her favorite repertoire includes: Serenade, La Valse, The Great Gatsby, Peter Pan, and Swan Lake. Sarah is a Michigan native, and trained at the Miami City Ballet School. Theatre credits include An American in Paris (Phoenix Theatre Company); Cinderella (Musical Theatre West); A Chorus Line, West Side Story, Kinky Boots, Cinderella, and Tootsie (Moonlight Stage Productions); West Side Story (Palos Verdes Performing Arts Center); and Spamalot, and A Chorus Line (Welk Theatre).
The ensemble includes Connor McGuire, Kathy Kenez, Mandi Lynn Griffith, Kylie Dennison, and Joey Gregoire. Dancers from the Draper Dance Ensemble include Siena Ardizzone, Lundyn Blackman, Mya Cowick, Lillian Gauss, Isabella Ginevra, Riley Hammond, Emily Jonason, Summer Kroll, Gwendolyn Nellis, Katelyn Ramirez, Agnieszka Rynkowski, Vittoria Santonastaso, Anna Shin, Kate Shin, Emily Talledo, and Nathan Talledo.
An American in Paris is directed by JCC CenterStage Artistic Director Ralph Meranto with musical direction by Andrew Cooke, in addition to choreography by Jamey Leverett.
An American in Paris is presented by the Cornell/Weinstein Family Foundation and is produced with support from Dawn Lipson, the Nelson B. Delevan Foundation, St John’s, the LGBT+ Giving Circle, and the National Council of Jewish Women.
An American in Paris opens May 3 and runs through May 18.
For further information, photographs or to arrange interviews, please contact:
Ralph Meranto, JCC CenterStage Artistic Director, (585) 461-2000 ext. 236.
Performance Schedule:
Saturday, May 3, 7:30pm
Sunday, May 4, 2pm*
Wednesday, May 7, 7pm
Thursday, May 8, 7pm
Saturday, May 10, 2pm
Saturday, May 10, 7:30pm
Sunday, May 11, 2pm [Open-Captioned]
Wednesday, May 14, 7pm
Thursday, May 15, 7pm
Saturday, May 17, 2pm
Saturday, May 17, 7:30pm
Sunday, May 18, 2pm
*Post Show Talk back with three-time Tony-winning Broadway Producer Rachel Weinstein
Ticket Prices:
JCC Members: $35
Non-Member: $40
Students: $20
Tickets available online: jcccenterstage.org
Phone: (585) 461-2000
CenterStage Theatre at the Jewish Community Center
1200 Edgewood Avenue, Rochester, NY 14618
*Times, dates, and prices of any activity posted to our calendars are subject to change. Please be sure to click through directly to the organization’s website to verify.