![]() ![]() The much better musical Big Fish (more involved story, more outrageous characters and a whole lot of whimsy) only ran for 98 performances in 2013 but received wonderful local productions in Long Beach and Vista the past two years. I don’t see much of a future on Broadway for this show off-Broadway perhaps. ![]() Amelie, A New Musical is sure to disappoint fans of the film and just confuse and alienate newcomers. Maybe it needs more of a French accent I never felt I was in the magical city of Paris. Often characters have to stop to explain what just happened when in the film it was obvious. The goldfish, the Notre Dame tourist, the photo booth, The Glass Man and more plot items that were charming and funny in the film mostly don’t work here. The creators haven’t committed fully, staying somewhat in a neutral, realistic space that this piece doesn’t quite work in. A little bit of whimsy goes just so far on stage unless it is played full out. But all their love and dedication has failed to capture the intrinsic whimsical charm of the film (which made an international star of Audrey Tautou). Why the extra three words in the title? Was there a former musical titled Amelie? Is there an old Amelie out there somewhere? Or is it to distinguish this live stage incarnation from the quirky 2001 film Amelie (original French title Le fabuleux destin d’Amelie Poulain)? In the program notes, the creators (book by Craig Lucas, music by Daniel Messe and lyrics by Nathan Tysen and Messe) all profess their fascination with and love for the film written by Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Guillaume Laurant. Amelie, A New Musical is currently at the Ahmanson Theatre after premiering at Berkeley Repertory Theatre in 2015 and before opening on Broadway in early April, 2017.
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