AMÉLIE Previews- Page 6

[BroadwayConcierge]

Posted: 4/1/17 at 12:50am

Sigh. I wanted to like this one so badly. It's hard to be so critical of a show that's very sweet and harmless in what it aims to do, but man, it really doesn't do it all that well. 

The score is, as most have said, monotonous. Shockingly monotonous. It's literally the same tunes over and over again for 95 minutes, and they're not memorable tunes to begin with. The book is pretty generic and a bit sloppy at times. The direction is totally nonexistent. The design is okay (some of the projections were truly lovely), but nothing to write home about.

That said, Phillipa Soo can do no wrong. She's on the stage for about 90% of the show—and thankfully, too. Honestly, I might have walked out mid-show if Amélie was being played by another actress. Soo exudes both radiance and vulnerability, and her voice is just absolutely sumptuous. She's great in this role, but the role itself just is not a brilliantly written one like Eliza or Natasha. Either way, the maturity she conveys at 26—remember, people, she's 26!—is remarkable, and she can count on me as a sold seat for whatever her next theatrical endeavor will be (but I hope it's better than this one). 

I can't post this review without expressing my frustration over the show's ending. Why does it end with Amélie being gradually diluted into her relationship with Nino? Isn't the whole thing HER story? Shouldn't we get a final, grand number or say from HER as opposed to "we're together now, so...we'll see what happens! Bye!"? I found it to be one of the least satisfying conclusions to a show I've seen in a long time.

I really can't see this doing well with Tony nominations, unless Soo is able to grab a Best Actress nod (which I believe would be quite deserved). Extremely disappointed, but you can't win them all.

Updated On: 4/1/17 at 12:50 AM

[ameleigh]

Posted: 4/1/17 at 2:12am

Anyone think it's possible that there could be rush tickets this Monday for opening night? I'm not sure how that works, so I wanted to see if anyone had any input. Thank you!

[Big Apple2]

Posted: 4/1/17 at 8:19am

It appears the same criticisms expressed by those including me during its pre-Broadway run in L.A. are now also being made to the Broadway show. That's too bad. These pre-Broadway launch are supposed to gauge audience reaction to further tweak a show. Looks like very little of that has happened here. Hopefully, this show still finds its audience. 

[Willie4316]

Posted: 4/1/17 at 1:10pm

I rushed last night for this show at half hour to curtain (front row orchestra) and haven't seen this in LA so I had nothing to compare this too. 

I really enjoyed the show. The set design was lovely. The music, although I found to be quite charming, echoes what others have said, it's 90% monotonous. That being said, it still had me humming a tune leaving the theatre. 

Phillipa Soo I absolutely adored as Amélie. If she wasn't attached to the show, I probably wouldn't have seen it. Without a doubt her presence alone helped to elevate a majority of the show. At such a young age, she captures the vulnerability and maturity of this character brilliantly. Her voice was absolutely exquisite to hear. Whatever her next project will be, she's got me as a sold seat. 

The rest of the cast was good in their roles, but nothing really stood out for me. Ms. Soo was the only standout performance for the entire show.  

While it's not absolutely perfect, I found it a very whimsical and enjoyable evening. The only major award I can see them receiving is Best Actress. Hoping for the best for this show and that it has a well deserved run. 

[Big Apple2]

Posted: 4/2/17 at 9:28am

Do they have the photo booth in this theatre?  They did in L.A. And it was a nice touch. We got there early to have our picture taken. I'm glad we did because the line was long after the show.  It turned out to be a nice memento. 

[mamaleh]

Posted: 4/2/17 at 10:10am

Willie, what was your rush seat location?  Thanks.

[Willie4316]

Posted: 4/2/17 at 10:13am

mamaleh said: "Willie, what was your rush seat location?  Thanks."

I got to the Kerr half hour before curtain and got orchestra A111 

[Auggie27]

Posted: 4/3/17 at 10:23am

Was this a tweak-able near-miss out of town? Or a show that suffered from unsteady adaptation and perhaps the wrong songwriters? (Per many posts.)  For out of town gigs to work magic, a show really needs to be in that specific if grey area where a number of small changes add up, and create an overall more accomplished version of what's already on stage.  Out of town is not a place for wholesale re-invention. (Though there are rare exceptions, famous ones.)   This piece, whatever its merits and liabilities, arrives as its ingredients were baked into it.

[nolanativeny]

Posted: 4/3/17 at 10:52am

I caught this yesterday and generally agree with what most have said. I didn't think it was completely awful, but unfortunately most of what redeemed it was Philippa Soo, who I thought made the best of the material. I thought the score would work better as a concept album or with different direction, or something, because I didn't think it was necessarily bad, I just don't think it works with this whimsical direction that was went with. 

That said, the score does strike me as sort of breezy indie folk a la Sara Bareilles or Ingrid Michaelson, neither of whom I would have imagined penning a Broadway musical prior to last Spring. It's the kind of music that someone makes trying to be profound and ends up just being forgettable, lost in a sea of better versions of what it's trying to do (like Sara or Ingrid). Anyway, I did love the fig song. That was probably my favorite part. I think Heath Calvert plays Lucien well without careening into caricature. 

[Ado Annie D'Ysquith]

Posted: 4/3/17 at 3:45pm

The photo booth thing is such a cute idea! I love when the world of the show spills into the Front of House.

[Bway&Disney2]

Posted: 4/3/17 at 7:11pm

Hey all, long time lurker first time poster.

I saw this show on Saturday.  I went in with mild expectations, based on how well it was supposedly selling. This musical is the definition of a harmless, mediocre, and unmemorable show.  It is to be sure based on some really quirky material, but that quirkiness and mischievous charm of the film did not make the leap to stage.  The tone constantly shifted or fell flat, ie the random Elton John number. The stand out musical number form the otherwise forgettable score was the Haircut number. The rest of the score was bland and repetitive, given the pureness and power of Phillips's voice I was waiting for a really strong I want number or ballad, but never really got a definitive moment.  I really wanted to like the show and to be sure I did not dislike it per say, just was not impressed by it.  The geek chorus was my favorite part, these regular joes that Amelie affected by he actions were effective narrators, but were used sporadically and therefor not as effectively as they could have been. 

 

Overall repeating the sentiments I read here earlier, just a meh, bland show that took inspired and quirky original material and watered it down to something that is not charming, sort of sweet, but not memorable.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 4/10/17 at 12:38pm

I saw the matinee yesterday, and I was actually pretty taken with it. I thought the music was at times truly gorgeous. Loved her solo in the porn shop and Nino's "Thin Air" solo, and they have a pretty duet at the end. But there were a lot of WTF moments. I don't think they captured the quirkiness of the movie at all. I mean the "Fig" number seemed out of place. And pointless. Same with the Elton John song. It went on for too long and it wasn't a good enough song to warrant its length. The ending is really wonky too. There's no cathartic moment between Amelie and her father, etc. I think the beginning could be trimmed too. The show needed Soo sooner. The design was cute, but I kept waiting for surprises, which never happened. It has to be a pretty cheap show to produce. All in all, it's a cute show, but I can't see anyone paying full price, premium tickets for it. But it still has a better score than War Paint.

[icecreambenjamin]

Posted: 4/10/17 at 12:47pm

Ripped, I agreed with you until you said the score is better than War Paint.  Amelie's score is so brutally simple that the music is completely unmemorable.  It lacks any quirk or "Frenchness" about it.  War Paint has been criticized, in my opinion, unfairly, about it's score be unmemorable.  I must say, War Paint actually has a very complex and layered jazz score that I think will benefit from multiple listenings.  I think people will enjoy the score more after the cast album.

[Ado Annie D'Ysquith]

Posted: 4/10/17 at 12:51pm

In spite of the mixed-ness, I'm still absurdly pumped for Thursday! Some of the merchandise is really cute, but I think I'll just get a magnet and call it a day for my wallet.

"When the Booth Goes Bright" has been stuck in my head all weekend. I watched the Samantha Barks at Berkeley Rep trailer...it's interesting how her Amelie's hairstyle wasn't remotely like Tautou's in the movie. They obviously tried to replicate that 'do with Soo. (RHYMES!)

[@z5]

Posted: 4/10/17 at 1:04pm

I actually did enjoy this...no, it isn't the best thing I have ever seen. But the cast does a good job, the set was fun to look at, and it had some funny material. It definitely has its charm.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 4/10/17 at 1:26pm

I'm sure if you've seen it recently, but they added some very subtle "parisian" sounds to the score, but yes, I do agree, the whole show feels a bit white washed and not specific. Even the set wasn't really "french" at all. 

I really enjoyed the score, I loved the haunting piano melody that they used throughout, but I would agree that "Pink" from War Paint is probably more complex and interesting and new.