Elon senior Gabe Tobierre said some music theatre students may describe themselves as a “dancer first,” but he is a “dancer last.”
“I could hit a little step coming into school,” Tobierre said. “But I was never really technically trained in ballet, jazz or tap.”
Now, Tobierre is playing one of the main roles in a dance-heavy show, Elon’s fall musical “An American in Paris.”
Based on the 1951 romantic comedy movie of the same name, “An American in Paris” explores the French capital through the eyes of a veteran after World War II. Elon’s production of “An American in Paris” will have seven shows from Oct. 31 to Nov. 8 in McCrary Theatre.
The fall musical will be Tobierre’s first time performing in McCrary for an Elon main stage show. Tobierre plays Jerry, a suave painter and World War II veteran. He said the role personifies his personal growth as a dancer — something he’s become more comfortable with as the cast gets further along in rehearsal.
The music in “An American in Paris” was composed by George and Ira Gershwin, so Tobierre said some audience members may recognize some of the songs, including “I Got Rhythm.” The music is at the core of the plot. Adam — one of the main characters — is working on composing a piece for a ballet.
Sophomore J.T. Loveless plays Adam and said the pianist processes the world around him by channeling it into his art.
“The only way he feels like he can fully express himself and feel what he feels is through his music,” Loveless said.
Loveless said the amount of intense dance in the show requires significant trust between cast members. Loveless said the dancers were the “heartbeat” of the production.
“It's the first time that I'm fully collaborating with every single person on stage,” Loveless said.
Loveless said all of the roles in the show are equally important in telling the story and that he is excited for audiences to see all of their work — the culmination of the cast and crew’s trust and collaboration.
One of the main themes of “An American in Paris” is how life and art are connected. Loveless’ character Adam is a veteran who also serves as the show’s narrator. Like the other characters in the musical, Adam is learning how to use art to navigate his life after the war and his survivor’s guilt.
“I can connect with him trying to be a fully fleshed out artist, creating unique and new work that is impactful and inspiring to other people,” Loveless said.
While Loveless himself is not Jewish, his character Adam is. Loveless said it was important for him to connect with his Jewish cast mates and learn their perspectives on the character and the musical.
To prepare for the show, Loveless said members of the cast got to meet a Holocaust survivor and hear her story. Loveless said her story was tragic and hard to hear, but he was grateful for the opportunity to connect with her and learn from a Holocaust survivor directly.
“Her perspective was not only inspiring, but it was so informative, because for somebody like me — who isn't Jewish at all — having a hands-on, personal experience with somebody who could tell us their entire story was really, really, really helpful,” Loveless said.
Embracing the show’s themes around guilt, tragedy and the role of art in one’s life, are only part of what Tobierre said makes this such an ambitious show. Beyond the themes of the musical, the performance has complex moving pieces, intricate dance numbers and thoughtful character performances.
Tobierre said the core of the show asks the audience to reflect on the role art plays in their lives.
“What is art? What is love? And what does it mean to devote yourself to something that you're passionate about?” Tobierre said.
While Tobierre, Loveless and the cast know the show well, what they don’t know is how people will respond to it. Tobierre said he is looking forward to hearing the audience laugh and go “woah” at different parts of the show and for the audience to see the team’s hard work.
“It has been a lot of blood, sweat and tears from the entire creative team, cast and everything,” Tobierre said. “It's been a labor of love for sure.”
Tickets are available through ElonTickets.com and are $15 or free with an Elon ID. There will be evening shows at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 31, Nov. 1, Nov. 6, Nov. 7 and Nov. 8. The production will also have two matinee showings at 2 p.m. Nov. 2 and Nov. 8.