Gigi, a colorful and sophisticated tale with a sentimental heart, takes place in the ornate, elegant Paris of the 1900s -- when gentlemen of leisure strolled the verdant boulevards, and working girls in the oldest profession attained social heights as elegant courtesans, cultured ladies of some standing who served as public mistresses to lucky, wealthy men. Bright, appealing young Gigi, still a rambunctious girl-child, is being raised by her loving grandmother, Madame Alvarez, and her stern Aunt Alicia, the former flame of numerous royalty, to follow in their path. Gigi finds her lessons in deportment tedious, and would rather skip class and play at cards with Gaston Lachailles, an indolent and wealthy young visitor to her home. Gaston’s uncle, Honore, himself a former lover of Madame Alvarez, is trying to interest his nephew in the dissipated life: parties, girls, roulette, and more girls are the things that make life worth living! But Gaston is only happy in the humble Alvarez abode, clowning around with the girl he thinks of as his little sister. When Gigi blossoms into a beautiful young woman, both she and Gaston will have to confront the reality of their feelings for each other, and Gigi, fighting for her happiness, will have to convince her loved ones to look beyond the usual business arrangement. Filled with such beloved Lerner and Loewe compositions as the effervescent “The Night They Invented Champagne,” the sweepingly romantic “Gigi,” and the wry, nostalgic “I Remember It Well,” not to mention the classic “Thank Heaven for Little Girls,” Gigi is scandalous and sweet, a romantic story of puppy love, and a look at the business realities of life.
Gigi guide sections
