An American in Paris Scene 7 Summary

  • Henri's on stage at a music hall, wearing a tuxedo and performing "I'll Build a Stairway to Paradise." He oozes charm, and the audience loves him.
  • He's joined by a gaggle of leggy showgirls and climbs a literal, light-up stairway. It's all very glamorous. All our staircase does is harbor dust bunnies.
  • After the show, Lise comes dashing up the street as Henri exits the stage door. Henri's with an American fat-cat who wants Henri to go on tour in the States. Henri says he'll have to talk it over with Lise—you know, his girlfriend who was just making out with Jerry by the river.
  • Henri tells Lise that they could get married and then go to America. They'll leave in a few weeks. It'll be le awesome. She'll love the Americans.
  • Sorry, Henri; we're pretty sure she already does.
  • Cut to Jerry and Adam in Adam's apartment. Adam's once again at the piano. Jerry's reclining and smoking a cigarette. He looks troubled.
  • Outside, a car horn honks and Adam goes to the window. It's Milo's car. Adam asks Jerry what Milo's getting out of their sponsorship deal, and suggests that Milo's into more than just Jerry's paintings, if you know what he means.
  • We do, Adam. We do.
  • Jerry says it's not like that and heads downstairs to meet Milo, passing by his neighbor, Therese, who's cleaning the stairs. Guess her staircase doesn't light up, either.
  • Therese tells Jerry not to worry if he has to sleep with Milo: it's for the sake of art. Once again, an exasperated Jerry's all, "It's not like that!"
  • Back in the apartment, Adam has a daydream that he's playing Gershwin's "Concerto in F"—not just on the piano, but all of the parts.
  • He imagines that he's the conductor, the xylophone player, the entire violin section, the adoring audience—everybody. Dude may be a grump, but he can play the piano like nobody's business.