Posted: 3/24/17 at 3:28pm
Hamilton? Um. I will give you a minute to think about that one. BASED on and INSPIRED by are two very, very different things.
Updated On: 3/24/17 at 03:28 PM
Posted: 3/27/17 at 9:10am
I caught Amelie this weekend. Oh vey. What a mess. The book and score are meandering and dull beyond belief and make that hour and forty five minute run time feel like an eternity. I thought that the direction and design were poor all around. Phillipa Soo is good, but I was never mesmerized or drawn in by her performance. This is definitely one of the biggest misses of the past couple seasons on Broadway in my book.
Posted: 3/27/17 at 9:20am
Ugh... I'm going for the first time next week because I'm a huge Phillipa Soo fan, but some of these reviews have me really hesitant about it 
Posted: 3/27/17 at 9:38am
As someone that is also a huge Phillipa fan and saw it for her, I think you will enjoy it. She's on stage for almost the entire time and she's as charming and lovely as ever to watch, as well as giving a performance very distinctive from her turns as Natasha and Eliza, a sign of a great actor. I don't really understand how anyone expects her to be mesmerizing when she hasn't been given the material to be. The show itself is nothing special, but it's light fluff and I actually really like the score and have had the melodies running through my head.
Updated On: 3/27/17 at 09:38 AM
Posted: 3/27/17 at 9:40am
I survived Amelie at the Saturday matinee. The musical delivers none of the charm of the film. At times I felt like I was watching Seussical the Musical because the sets were so colorful and garish. The music was forgettable and you don't leave the show humming a single tune.
Phillipa's voice was beautiful.Several times I did find Phillipa charming as Amelie.
Adam helped to maintain my interest because I enjoyed his singing and he is easy to look at.
Ultimately I didn't care about the characters or the creative solutions of Amelia to help them find happiness.
The 90 minute journey to get to the final 10 minutes (of destination) was not worth it for me. Yes I remember the end of the film but I will admit that I enjoyed those final few moments of this show.
Afraid this is a D.N.R. (Do Not Resuscitate). Sad...
Posted: 3/27/17 at 11:10am
Jeffrey Karasarides said: "You can hear 'Times Are Hard for Dreamers' right here...
http://ew.com/theater/2017/03/09/phillipa-soo-amelie-musical-bonus-track/"
Wow. Talk about TOTALLY missing the tonal charm of the movie...
This is like seeing the film of DEMOISELLES DE ROCHEFORT and then enduring (and there is no other word for it) that crap-awful stage adaptation done about three years ago.
Posted: 3/27/17 at 11:27am
Hmm. I haven't seen the movie and I really love what I've heard of the score. Therefore, I can't speak to its dissimilarity to the original "tone." Perhaps this adaptation was meant for those new to Amelie?
Posted: 3/27/17 at 1:07pm
Ado Annie D'Ysquith said: "Hmm. I haven't seen the movie and I really love what I've heard of the score. Therefore, I can't speak to its dissimilarity to the original "tone." Perhaps this adaptation was meant for those new to Amelie?"
Well, I suppose by that logic one could simply go to Wikipedia, read the synopsis of any film, and then work up an adaption for the stage. After all, why bother seeing what it was that made the film so charming in the first place, right?
Posted: 3/27/17 at 1:35pm
If a musical were adapted with success...it wouldn't be necessary for anyone to relate or refer to its predecessor.
I saw the movie once and did not remember much of it though while watching the musical this weekend I had several "oh yeah' moments that reminded me about some of the movie plot.
What might have made the movie work could have been the editing, visuals etc so when transferring it to its musical form something would need to step in that place so obviously musical numbers, lyrics, catchy tunes, dance numbers (if appropriate), scenery, etc
Unfortunately, for me, the musical did not have those replacements for me as I mentioned I left with not a tune in my head or any "WOW" moments. An 'oh yeah'...won't make it happen. I did not feel compelled to refer a friend to this show. I didn't think 'tickets to this show would make a worthwhile gift for my family.' Genuinely I feel bad for all involved because it is very clear that a lot of love, hard work, heart etc is being poured into the show (yes, for all shows so let's not get out the pitchforks and torches). I just don't believe this will find an audience. It's just 'there'.
Posted: 3/27/17 at 2:15pm
Um, no...that's not what I meant to imply at all. Sorry if it came off as such.
Posted: 3/27/17 at 4:05pm
I'm a huge fan of the film and was delighted to get second row seats to the March 14 preview and wanted to post for a bit of balance. I found the show delightful; I thought the music was beautiful and the performances mesmerizing. I loved that —like in the film —every member of the cast was a unique eccentric and the story's theme has such heart that I'm confounded that so many have been disappointed. In fact, I found Amelie's motivation for her actions much clearer in the play than in the film. It is true that there is nothing big nor bombastic about the show or the music but I liked that quiet and thought it appropriate. Much has been written about the "de-Frenching" of the show and that is true but, at least for me, it founds its own way to delight.
Posted: 3/28/17 at 12:59pm
I went this past weekend having no expectation and having not seen the movie-I knew only the one sentence overarching description about the plot/life in the imagination challenged by real world - love.
I enjoyed it. It's not flawless, didn't care for the set, but I found it more creative and entertaining. I didn't 'hum the music' as I left but then I rarely rarely do. I never hold that up as a standard. Interesting the mix of reactions. I am someone who found the show Waitress (save its lead performer) dull and conventional. So take what I say with that.
Posted: 3/28/17 at 4:58pm
I may have a bias in favor of the show before even watching it because I see a lot (maybe too much) of myself in Mademoiselle Poulain. As I've said in other threads, this is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it's so reassuring to know I am not alone in who I am. On the other hand, her character gets glorified to high heaven for it while I receive grief.
I do think this trailer is all kinds of adorable!
Posted: 3/28/17 at 6:11pm
I saw the show in LA and I can't even remember the scene for "Times are Hard for Dreamers." Probably not a good sign.
Like I've said elsewhere, I was probably the ideal audience for this: I adore the movie and have it seen a million times, and I tend to love low-key scores that others find boring and repetitive. So i was really disappointed by how underwhelmed I was.
Posted: 3/28/17 at 6:42pm
I saw this show on Sunday. I hated 90% of it.
It started out well with the opening and Amelie's backstory and there were a few fun and charming parts, but then it drags and as mentioned by several people that hour forty-five feels like forever.
For me one of the best moments was toward the end were the female characters ask Nino his intentions. It broke up the monotony.
I agree there is no stand alone number for Amelie to have her moment. There's a perfect spot when she takes a chance of the real world, but it's missed.
What could've been fun, quirky and charming ended up, for me, dull.
Posted: 3/28/17 at 6:54pm
Markecib said: "For me one of the best moments was toward the end were the female characters ask Nino his intentions. It broke up the monotony. "
Interesting. I really disliked that number because I thought it was bizarre to place it in the middle of the musical's climax. For me, it stopped the show in the tracks - why would you build up to momentum to the lead characters finally meeting each other, and then have a random song about the side characters complaining about their partners?
I liked the idea of it (and getting a sense of Nino's feelings) but it felt completely out of place to me.
Posted: 3/29/17 at 1:08am
Heard the song. And Philippa will get the tony. I hear you saying Neusimone is a troll. But hear me out. I think the musial looks whimsical . I also really loved how it moved. Yes from a clip. But I loved the different style lyrics.
Updated On: 3/29/17 at 01:08 AM
Posted: 3/29/17 at 1:15am
The video and song posted here today really piqued my interest in this show. Was on the fence but now I want to see it.
Posted: 3/29/17 at 9:40am
The more I read about this, the more I kinda think Jones and Schmidt should have written it.
Posted: 3/29/17 at 9:45am
I had the complete opposite reaction. It turned me off completely. Nothing remotely interesting in those clips for me.
Posted: 3/29/17 at 10:03am
Do you guys think an intermission would help the show?
Posted: 3/29/17 at 10:09am
Wick3 said: "Do you guys think an intermission would help the show? "
If this is the same show that played in L.A. back in December with no major changes to the scenes or soundtrack, then No. For me, it was easily forgettable. And this is from someone who thought the film version was easily one of that year's best films.
Posted: 3/29/17 at 10:10am
I think that at the current length, it doesn't make sense to have one, and I don't know where it would go. However, the musical does drag and like others have said, you feel every minute. Having seen it in LA and Broadway, I hoped they would trim it down a little, because they could easily refine the second half and cut it to 90 minutes or so, but that didn't happen.
Posted: 3/29/17 at 9:11pm
I just saw the harsh WOM for American In Paris. And it got great reviews. Really love what I am seeing so far
Posted: 3/29/17 at 10:53pm
Neusimone said: "Heard the song. And Philippa will get the tony. I hear you saying Neusimone is a troll. But hear me out. I think the musial looks whimsical . I also really loved how it moved. Yes from a clip. But I loved the different style lyrics.
Yes. Phillipa Soo will definitely beat out Bette Midler for the Tony.
Look, this is an absolutely awful adaption. The film is spectacular and is definitely a favorite of mine, but this score is horribly beige. For a whimsical show set in Paris about a quirky girl, it sure is monotonous. Soo is perfectly cast IMO, but the score needed to be colorful and inventive and sound just the slightest bit Parisian. I mean, they could at least add an accordion. I also thought that the visuals were off. There was a lot of blue and there really isn't any in the film's incredible cinematography, so that really threw me off. What disappoints me the most is that the director really didn't want for Amelie to become a musical, but he let it happen anyways. I'm sure he isn't too thrilled with the final product which is a complete bastardization of the great film. This whole show was just extremely disappointing.
I would have loved to have seen what someone like Stephen Sondheim or Adam Guettel could have have done with Amelie.
.jpg?format=auto&width=365)
