I enjoyed the 2015 stage adaptation, starring Robert Fairchild on Broadway, and then caught Ryan Steele doing the national tour.
But I still far prefer the original MGM movie. You can't beat Gene Kelly teaching ''I Got Rhythm'' to a bunch of adorable kids, or Georges Guetary belting ''I'll Build a Stairway to Paradise,'' flanked by showgirls. And most of all, there's the 17-minute closing ballet, starring Leslie Caron and Kelly. It's a tour de force of dance and art direction, an explosion of color and costumes that references French impressionist painters. What a masterpiece! |
