AMELIE to close on May 21 — Page 5

I wouldn't call either Natasha or Eliza really smaller supporting roles.

She wont return to Hamilton. That would be the worst thing she could do for her future career.

I wonder if she'll ever try and branch out into TV or film.

ScottyDoesn'tKnow2 said: "I love the movie, so I wasn't too keen on exposing myself to the musical version. I just saw the trailer and the Today Show performance, and no wonder people didn't like it. It has that generic Broadway musicals of the 2010 sound that really does not fit the source material. In fact it works against what made the movie so well-liked in the first place. I mean the character of Amelie self-proclaiming herself as a dreamer was already a sign the creative team was misstepping from the get-go. The writing, staging, choreography, facial expressions of the dancers, and "acting" of the blind man number was so bad and overblown in every way possible and something people would make if they were making fun of needless staged musical adaptations of movies.

I think after hearing the music of this show, people would rather listen to the memorable, superior film score on their headphones than see this show. The way I feel about this is probably how people felt about that Doctor Zhivago musical years ago where they tacked on "Laura's Theme" at the last minute out of desperation. A musical of a film won't work if the film already has a great score that the potential audience is already familiar with that's simply better than anything you're making in the musical. I bet if they just added insipid, needless lyrics and dance sequences to the film score, people would have been much happier with it even if it would have closed anyway.



LOVE THIS AND AGREE WITH YOU!!

Updated On: 5/6/17 at 03:06 AM

I saw it this afternoon. I have not seen the movie, so I don't know the differences. It was alright. Nothing offensive about it. But, I did start getting a little bored about 45 minutes in. From what I was interpreting, they could have done so much with the sets and props, but didn't. It could have been a little more magical or imaginative looking at times. The score was also slightly boring because I thought it all sounded really similar. Makes it slightly forgettable. But, I did enjoy Phillipa Soo. Too bad this was not tweaked more before coming to Broadway.

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Marianne2 said: "I saw it this afternoon. I have not seen the movie, so I don't know the differences. It was alright. Nothing offensive about it. But, I did start getting a little bored about 45 minutes in. From what I was interpreting, they could have done so much with the sets and props, but didn't. It could have been a little more magical or imaginative looking at times. The score was also slightly boring because I thought it all sounded really similar. Makes it slightly forgettable. But, I did enjoy Phillipa Soo. Too bad this was not tweaked more before coming to Broadway.



"

See the movie. Even if you don't end up liking it, I think you'll appreciate the cinematic qualities of the film and the score.

broadwayboy223 said: "In Doctor Zhivago's defense I think the score is very beautiful. I listen to the cast cd frequently. Secret Garden is still better, but there are good songs in Zhivago.



Haven't seen Doctor Zhivago, i kown it's a flop but i do like the score a lot .Can't imagine how bad the show is.

A huge part of the joy of Amelie is how Tatou portrays Amelie as a kind of obsessive recluse. She's essentially a mime that talks, and the world she inhabits is so highly energized and synchronically cartoonish that we come to believe in her quest. Everything in the movie is under the spell of Jeunet's stylization - it's oppressive, it's harassing, and Amelie takes hold of the synchronicity, putting it to her benefit by becoming her own Chuck Jones and animating her own world. Great Comet, for all its tragedy, is a much better stylization of Jeunet than what I've seen of the Amelie musical, which seems to trade aggressive hallucinogenics for blandly palatable whimsy.

My personal guess is that Soo doesn't return to either of her former shows, Hamilton in particular. Soo would probably provide a boost to Great Comet, but that's up to her and the show. It's probably more likely that she originates another role, perhaps not as the lead this time, or waits for another opportunity in theatre, film, or TV.

My question concerns the idea of a role being a 'step back' in a performer's career. The analogy isn't perfect, but what about Joshua Henry? After Shuffle Along closed abruptly last year, I was surprised when he went to Chicago, and now the West Coast, to play Aaron Burr in Hamilton. I knew of his connection to the show, and to Lin-Manuel Miranda, but I thought he was a more likely replacement on Broadway or London. Instead, he's probably going to spend a year or more playing Burr in Chicago, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.

And yet the 'strategy,' to the extent there was one, seems to have worked brilliantly. Henry has gotten rave reviews, much deserved, for his work on the Hamilton tour (which, of course, plays to sell-out crowds.) Now he's going to be in the Carousel revival next spring on Broadway. That might have happened anyway, given his reputation, but it certainly hasn't hurt for him to tour the country and give a terrific performance in Hamilton.

I'm not sure this would apply in Soo's case. The worst outcome would be for Soo to return to Great Comet and have it close on her as Groban and the rest of the original cast leaves. Best case: Great Comet has more staying power than some people think, and she's the biggest name in it.

I bring all of this up because so many people reminded us of the young stars in big shows who never achieved anything close to that level of success again. It seems like Soo is at a career crossroads. It's her first bomb, even if no one is blaming her for that. And she's still very young.

Updated On: 5/8/17 at 12:52 PM

Bettyboy72 said: "I think Soo could go back into Hamilton or Comet without it hurting her. She could even demand extra money. I think she needs to focus on working. Honestly, I've never found her to be that compelling. I don't think she is poised for greater fame."

I don't think going back to Comet would hurt her but Hamilton certainly would. Everyone else has left and it would make it seem like she's the one unable to move on.

I don't know why she needs to focus on working when she's getting a substantial amount of money from Hamilton profits on a weekly basis. She could quite easily have a break and she would be fine to do so.

As for the last part, that's just opinions. She has plenty of people that find her compelling and hope that she goes on to bigger and better things. People aren't trusted with lead roles at such a young age unless the directors and writers see something special in them.

Updated On: 5/8/17 at 01:10 PM

Neonlights, that was my point, in case I wasn't clear. For Joshua Henry, going on the Hamilton tour looks like a really smart decision. He's drawn critical praise, rave reviews, and probably has a bunch of new fans for his performance in Hamilton. I saw him in San Francisco myself and have tickets later this month. From a selfish perspective, I wish more Broadway performers would tour, at least a little. Seeing Lena Hall in Hedwig was a treat too, but the drawing card for my daughter was Darren Criss.

Broadway can be an insular world. As someone who is paying a lot more attention now, it's almost strange to realize there are so many respected, outstanding performers on Broadway who are total unknowns in the rest of the country - unless they were in a TV show or film. As great as Leslie Odom Jr. was as Burr in Hamilton, he will get a lot more attention if the Murder on the Orient Express film is successful.

As for what that means for Soo, I certainly wouldn't blame her for taking a break and waiting for a better opportunity. Returning to Hamilton probably wouldn't make sense. Great Comet might, but there are risks either way.

Updated On: 5/8/17 at 01:54 PM

What exactly makes a score "cinematic?"

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She's far from starving and she doesn't need Hamilton. Henry and Olivo joined the show after the Broadway production had already been open a while, it's different than being in the original cast, leaving and then being the only one to come back. Phillipa has already gotten everything she could get from that role, she has the acclaim, the fans and the Tony nomination. She also gets a weekly paycheck from that show without having to lift a finger. To be honest, she seemed ready to leave when she did so I doubt the idea has even crossed her mind. She's also getting married soon so perhaps she wants to take a break to get that all sorted. I find it strange that she isn't even done with Amélie yet, yet some people are already suggesting she should go back to her old shows. I'd understand if she'd been unemployed for 18 months, but it hasn't even been a day yet. I'm pretty sure these suggestions don't happen when other actors are in flops. For all we know, she has something in the works already, she must have known Amélie wouldn't be lasting very long.

Updated On: 5/8/17 at 07:08 PM