AMÉLIE TAKES STAGE AT THE AHMANSON

REVIEW: AMÉLIE

BY RYAN M. LUÉVANO

Pulling from cinema stockpile from abroad, American producers have deemed the 2001 film Amélie as a story worth taking to the musical stage, and not just any stage—Broadway is imminent. After the tryout at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles, the show is slotted for an opening on April 3, 2017 at the Walter Kerr Theatre.

Phillipa Soo and Adam Chanler-Berat. Photo Credit: Joan Marcus.

The creative team behind this new musical: Dan Messé, music; Nathan Tyson, lyrics; Craig Lucas, book; and Pam MacKinnon, director, have worked tirelessly since the world premiere in September 2015 by Berkeley Repertory Theatre to get Amélie to the next step. Together with assistance from the Center Theatre Group they’ve generated quite the buzz about this new musical that stars the beloved Phillipa Soo (fresh off the heels of Hamilton)—the question is: will buzz and a big name be enough for longevity on the Great White Way?

The most striking feature in the film is the same in the musical: optical splendor. The new musical’s creators bring Amélie’s whimsical imagination to fruition to the stage in the most refreshing and creative fashion. A subtle blend of simple and contemporary set design, staging and puppetry keeps audiences oohing and awing at every turn. David Zinn’s beautiful set seamlessly transforms itself into various locales (a café, Paris, the metro etc.) with the assistance of lighting, moveable set pieces and projections. With so many moving parts whizzing in and out the effect is like magic— winsome and mesmeric.

Adam Chanler-Berat. Photo Credit: Joan Marcus.

Many people may not remember the plot of the original film, which is not a problem, since this musical lifts the plot completely. It’s a tale of a withdrawn young girl working as a waitress who decides to devote her life to bringing happiness to others and through a series of events resolves to do so until she stumbles upon love for which she runs from until the end. You know, the old story of “girl meets boy, girl runs away, girl finally makes up her mind”. That’s it, a story that may make for a better artsy French film about finding oneself, than a compelling American musical. Additionally, with a running time that’s just less than two hours, without intermission, the high whimsy and sparkle tend to deflate before too long.

Daniel Massé plays to his strengths with a score that’s light Americana-folk with other styles used throughout. Although it’s clearly an American take on a French story, Massé does inject hints of French style here and there. This can be most clearly heard most clearly in the lilting 6/8 opening that bookends the show, and any waltz songs in the show.

The music in Amélie is continuous, making the show almost completely sung through, which works for the fantasy-like state of most of the musical. Yet with so much music here, we lack any melodies, or, dare I say it, ‘tunes’ to grasp on. Rather the music washes over audiences by the shifting tides of the story. The song audiences love most is the non-dramatic Elton John parody song, “Goodbye, Amélie,” which functions as the showstopper of the evening, banking on its novelty—Randy Blair gives a spectacular performance of this song.

Phillipa Soo and Randy Blair. Photo Credit: Joan Marcus.

Phillipa Soo plays a gentle and charming Amélie with a silvery soprano voice that glistens throughout. As Soo steps into her first major lead role she needs to take command as the principal in this show. Even she is at times outdone by everything that’s happening around her—less Amélie and more Soo being herself in the context of the character. Adam Chandler-Berat (Nino) is also understated in his role as Amélie’s love interest. His most powerful moment lies in the song, “Thin Air” which he performs with passion and soul that missing his character in general, the writing may be the culprit here too.

WHAT ABOUT THE MUSIC DIRECTOR?

Music director, pianist and co-vocal arranger Kimberly Grigsby eloquently leads this show from the keyboard getting a rich full sound from this fantastic 9-piece orchestra. All the music here is tight and balanced.

L-R: Savvy Crawford and Phillipa Soo. Photo Credit: Joan Marcus.

Center Theatre Group has a strong track record of bringing shows to Broadway and it looks like Amélie is headed in that direction. What will happen when it gets there? “Je ne sais pas”. As is, it’s a charming kaleidoscope of fancy that is true to the spirit of the film, maybe even to its detriment. But this is the excitement of an out-of-town tryout, so embrace it, and get your sampling of the new musical Amélie that has graced our town with its presence.

Phillipa Soo. Photo Credit: Joan Marcus.

More Information and Tickets:

Ahmanson Theatre, 135 N. Grand Ave., L.A.

8 p.m. Tuesdays-Fridays, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays, 1 and 6:30 p.m. Sundays; ends Jan. 15 (call for exceptions)

Tickets: $25-$125 (subject to change)

Information: (213) 972-4400 or www.centertheatregroup.org