An American in Paris Brings Ballet Beautifully Back to B'wy

An American in Paris is the most ballet-centric show to grace the stages of Broadway, giving both B'wy musicals & classical ballet a soaring jete' that lifts both art forms to a higher plateau.  Christopher Wheeldon, a former dancer for the Royal Ballet & NYC Ballet has choreographed ballets for top ballet companies throughout the world.  Tackling a much beloved Amer. musical was a leap of faith that proved you can improve on perfection.  Heresy to step into the shoes of Gene Kelly you say? I say, the choreography by Wheeldon borrowing from Balanchine, Robbins & Fosse rises to a new exhilarating height in artistry. The Gershwin brother's genius collaboration provides some of the greatest musical numbers ever written.  The talented cast of B'wy veterans were all wonderful & marvelous in their singing, acting & dancing.  The 2 exceptional leads, Robert Fairchild, a principal dancer NYC Ballet & Leanne Cope with the Royal Ballet brought so much elegance and rhythm to their demanding roles it gave me fidgety feet in the theater.  Wheeldon bowled me over with superlative dancing, artistic staging and clarity to what might have been a dated story.  You can't take anything away from legendary star Gene Kelly, but even he would feel this musical interpretation built on his role and paved a new stairway to paradise.  For the best in Broadway musicals, who could ask for anything more?