The new musical Amélie is now open, but the critics can’t help pining for the 2001 French film, on which the musical is based, that they wish they’d watched instead. It’s not that there’s anything particularly wrong with the cute new musical…the ensemble is versatile, the imagery is imaginative, and Phillipa Soo acquits herself in the title role…but there’s nothing especially right about it either. For a musical about fantasy and dreaming, it’s all a bit hum-drum, including the score which elicits yawns and never really endeavors to help tell the story. Overall, it’s just tough to tell who this musical is right for: lovers of the film won’t like the musical’s watered-down take on the film’s unique aesthetic and those who haven’t seen the film would probably be better off going to see that instead.
NEW YORK TIMES REVIEW OF AMÉLIE
For a cunning little bauble of an entertainment, the 2001 French film “Amélie” inspired uncommonly extreme responses. People were usually head over heels about it (“It’s so cute!”) or violently allergic to it (“But it’s so cute!”)…
TIME OUT NEW YORK REVIEW OF AMÉLIE
“Times are hard for dreamers” sings Amélie Poulain (Phillipa Soo) in the new musical that bears her name, but the lyrics aren’t strictly true. During the intermission-free hour and 45 minutes of this promising but never delivering musical fantasy, you can easily (and frequently) dream up ways the creative team…
AM NEW YORK REVIEW OF AMÉLIE
Two years since “Hamilton” premiered off-Broadway, many of its original stars have left the stage behind (at least for now) to try their luck in movies, television and music. Not so for Phillipa Soo, who originally played Eliza Hamilton…
TELEGRAPH REVIEW OF AMÉLIE
Times are hard for dreamers,” sings Amélie Poulain, as she leaves behind her solitary childhood for Paris in the quirky, occasionally charming new Broadway tuner based on the 2001 French comedy. Times aren’t so easy for those who dare to musicalize great movies, either, especially when they show excessive…
DEADLINE REVIEW OF AMÉLIE
Amélie, Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s good-natured 2001 film, was produced for an estimated $10.7 million and has grossed $132 million to date. That’s not bad for a sentimental fantasy about a painfully shy young woman – the film made an indie star of Audrey Tatou – who is inspired after the death of Princess Diana to…
Broadway Musical Blog 