Playbill On-Line first reported in 1998 that the immortal 1928 George Gershwin composition was being developed for the legitimate theatre. Pace Theatrical Group Inc. and Jujamcyn Theatres were behind the project.

A spokesman for the Gershwin Trust confirmed that Pace was still working on the piece. There is no timetable at the moment, however. Jujamcyn is no longer involved. The show was once tentatively projected for the 1999-2000 season.

Marc Gershwin, who is the son of Arthur Gershwin and nephew to George and Ira, previously told PBOL the musical would draw its inspiration from the original music and not the 1951 Gene Kelly-Vincente Minnelli movie.

"The history of going from movie to stage is not always great," said Gershwin. "And the story is somewhat dated. Definitely, we want to create a new book. The idea would be to update it."

George Gershwin wrote An American in Paris while visiting friends in the City of Light. He would often stroll the streets listening for just the right taxi horns to incorporate into the piece. The composition was first performed on Dec. 13, 1928, at Carnegie Hall, conducted by Walter Damrosch.