The following story centers on a lost script and an unexpected connection in the heart of Paris. The Script in the Rain
Leo’s first week in Paris was less of a Gershwin melody and more of a frantic percussion solo. As an aspiring stage manager, he had landed a gig with a small English-language touring company putting on An American in Paris. His most prized possession wasn’t his passport, but a beat-up, leather-bound tablet containing the only annotated portable PDF of the production’s new script—complete with lighting cues that had taken him months to perfect.
The disaster struck outside a small café near the Palais Garnier. A sudden, violent spring downpour sent tourists scrambling. In the chaos of unfolding his umbrella, Leo’s bag tipped. The tablet slid out, skidding across the wet cobblestones and disappearing into the darkness of a storm drain.
Leo sat on the curb, drenched and defeated. Without those notes, tomorrow's technical rehearsal would be a catastrophe. "Looking for a bit of 'S'Wonderful'?" a voice asked.
He looked up to see a woman in a yellow raincoat holding his tablet. It was dripping, but the screen was miraculously glowing. "It caught on the grate," she said, handing it back. "I saw the title on the lock screen. You’re with the theater?"
Leo wiped the screen, relieved to see the musical script was still open to Act II. "I’m the one supposed to make sure the lights actually hit the dancers," he admitted, his voice shaky. an american in paris musical script pdf portable
The woman, Juliette, was a local set designer. Over a late-night espresso, they realized they weren’t just working in the same city—they were working on the same show. Juliette had been struggling with the transitions for the "Stairway to Paradise" sequence, and Leo’s portable notes had the exact timing she needed to sync the moving flats with the music.
They spent the night huddled over the glowing screen, blending his technical cues with her artistic sketches. When the sun rose over the Seine, the script was no longer just a digital file; it was a blueprint for something new.
The show opened to a standing ovation. As the final notes of the orchestra faded, Leo didn't look at the stage. He looked toward the wings, where Juliette stood, holding a paper copy of the script they had finished together—a reminder that in Paris, even a lost file can lead to a found connection.
For study or audition preparation, you can legally obtain partial PDF samples:
The script opens in Paris, 1945. Jerry Mulligan, an American ex-GI, decides to stay in Paris to become a painter. Unlike the film, the stage script heavily features Lise Dassin, a young French woman hiding a secret: her family died in the Holocaust, and she is engaged to Henri, the son of a wealthy family who saved her. The following story centers on a lost script
Key scenes to look for in the PDF:
If you need the script for professional, educational, or personal study purposes, here are your legal options:
Licensing for Production: If a school or theatre company wishes to perform the show, they must rent performance rights through a licensing agency. The two main agencies for this show are Music Theatre International (MTI) or Theatrical Rights Worldwide (TRW) , depending on the region. Upon paying licensing fees, they will provide official digital or physical scripts, vocal books, and scores.
Educational/Perusal Copies: For directors, music directors, or students, you can request a “perusal” copy from the licensing agency. This is often a digital PDF (portable) sent directly to you for a small, non-refundable fee (typically $10–$25) to read and decide if you want to license the show. This is the only legitimate way to get a portable PDF for personal reading.
Published Libretto: Search for the An American in Paris (Vocal Selections) or the Libretto/Vocal Book. Samuel French (now Concord Theatricals) has occasionally published perusal scripts, but a mass-market paperback of the full script is rare. Instead, look for the "An American in Paris: The Musical (Original Broadway Cast Recording)" booklet, which contains the complete lyrics and some dialogue summaries, but not the full script. “I Got Rhythm
Sites claiming “free An American in Paris script PDF download” (e.g., on archive.org, Scribd, or random fan pages) are almost always:
The Gershwin estates actively pursue takedowns of unauthorized PDFs.
It must be noted that a "portable PDF" of the full libretto is rarely an official product. Publishers like Concord Theatricals generally sell the libretto as a physical paperback or a licensed rental for production teams.
One of the biggest drawbacks of reading An American in Paris in a static PDF format is the complexity of the Gershwin score. The musical relies heavily on dance sequences ("The Ballet," "An American in Paris"). In a physical book, you can flip back to reference a dance break. In a PDF, navigating a long dance notation section is tedious. The script is text-heavy, but the "action" lines describing the choreography are dense. Without a hyperlinked table of contents (which most bootleg or scanned PDFs lack), finding your place during a rehearsal is a frustrating experience of scrolling.
If you need a digital, portable version for analysis or audition preparation without licensing the show: