To See or Not to See: Amélie

I want to preface this review by saying a few things. Number 1: I am a huge fan of the movie Amélie. I saw it in high school and it was one of those movies that left an indelible impression on me. After, I wanted to live in her world. I was devastated to realize that I was still me, a high school girl living in the American Midwest, and somehow NOT a pixie waif who lived in a whimsical, color-saturated version of Paris. Number 2: I attended the show during previews.

Whew. Now that’s out of the way, let’s proceed with the review.

Amélie the musical is perfectly charming. Phillipa Soo is the star of the show and it couldn’t rest on better shoulders. Her voice soars and her version of Amélie is no slavish replica of Audrey Tautou’s performance from the movie while still retaining the spirit of the titular character. And the set design! And lighting! Hats off to those who worked on the design of the production itself—because all are cleverly made to indicate that this is no normal Paris. This is Amélie’s Paris, with people disappearing in and out of wardrobes and a large goldfish puppet who talks.

Amélie the movie, however, this is not. For one thing, Adam Chanler-Berat is no Mathieu Kassovitz (the actor who portrays Nino Quincampoix, Amélie’s love interest, in the movie). His singing and acting left me uninspired—wasn’t quite sure why Amélie would immediately fall in love (this is represented in the musical via the other actors opening suitcases containing large red glittery hearts when she first spies him). For another, the music and lyrics were forgettable. It says something that the lyrics that still stick with me a month later aren’t even really lyrics but an idea that (I assume) the lyricists Nathan Tysen and Daniel Messé shoehorn into the musical around “Zeno’s Theorem” (which is most commonly known in the real world as one of Zeno’s Paradoxes). I won’t go into it more in this review but suffice to say it is not the best metaphor I’ve ever encountered in a musical.

For the ardent Amélie movie fans out there, I would advise you stick with another re-watch of the movie. If, however, you like a dash of whimsy with your song & dance, this might be just the ticket for you this Broadway season.

Amélie is currently playing at the Walter Kerr Theatre. For tickets and more info, click here.

Photo Credit: Joan Marcus