Disclosure: I received complimentary tickets to Broadway in Detroit’s An American in Paris. All opinions expressed are my own.

Ladies, may I introduce you to my new friend, Gene Kelly:

I was thrilled to be invited to Broadway in Detroit’s presentation of An American in Paris this week. I had never seen the movie before but pretty much love everything Parisian. To get prepared for the show, I decided to watch the movie and was pleasantly surprised. First of all, HELLO GENE KELLY! Who knew he was so dreamy?

The movie reminded me a little bit of LaLa Land and surprisingly Cocktail, but since those all came after the original movie they may have taken their cues from my new friend Gene. Without knowing anything about the premise, I ended up knowing a lot of the songs. After seeing the movie I couldn’t wait to see the musical version so I invited my friend Carolyn out for a Parisian themed night on the town.

I wanted to find a French restaurant in Detroit and another friend recommended Cuisine. I had never heard of it (which is surprising since it’s been around for a long time) but was excited to make a reservation.

We went full on French and tried the duck leg confit and roasted breast with foie gras. If you know me, a lifelong picky eater, this was out of my comfort zone, but I liked it and am glad I tried it.

The staff was awesome and had us out of there quickly so we could head over to the Detroit Opera House for the show. Of course, I had to partake in some bubbly as we headed into the theatre. An American in Paris was inspired by the Academy-Award winning film and tells the romantic story about an American soldier, a mysterious French girl and an indomitable European city, each yearning for a new beginning in the aftermath of World War II.

By the time we got to the show, I had been singing the songs all day, from “I’ve Got Rhythm” to “‘S Marvelous” I was in the perfect mood to see this. I thought the musical was so well done! They explained a lot more of the storyline in more detail than they did in the movie version. It definitely helped to set the scene for what was happening in that time period and why it was significant to the story. People didn’t really need that backstory for the movie because the audience was living it. The dancing and the talent in the show was stunning. It made me want to get up and dance.