For those who remember the
2001 movie, “Amélie” is about a painfully shy young girl alone in Paris, the
odd characters she befriends, and her mission to bring joy to others. When she
falls for a troubled boy she flees, but when the boy chases her she puts him through
a number of tests and, when he persists, Amélie finally must decide whether to open
the door to her home, and her heart, to him.
The French film was
nominated for 5 Oscars and is listed among all-time favorites by many film
critics. I never saw it and, in this otherwise charming stage version, I had difficulty
figuring out what was going on, so perhaps one had better see the movie first.
Most of the song lyrics,
that clearly are intended to carry the story along, were difficult to
comprehend in the huge Ahmanson. In a smaller theatre one might more clearly understand
the lyrics, and see the facial expressions, but here much of it was miniaturized
into a distant pantomime.
Leading the large and
excellent cast are winsome Phillipa Soo as Amélie, dynamic 10 year old Savvy
Crawford as Young Amélie, and spirited Adam Chanler-Berat as Nino.
This pre-Broadway run is directed
by Pam MacKinnon, with book by Craig Lucas, music by Daniel Messé, lyrics by
Nathan Tysen and Messé, choreography by Sam Pinkleton, musical direction by
Kimberly Grigsby, and orchestrations by Bruce Coughlin.
At the Ahmanson Theatre,
135 N Grand Avenue, through January 15. Tickets: (213) 972-4400 or www.CenterTheatreGroup.org
Photos by Joan Marcus.
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