Amelie at Berkeley Rep- Page 6

[broadwaysfguy]

Posted: 9/7/15 at 11:04pm

JB will be interesting to see if NYT reviews this out of towner

they reviewed up here down in la jolla to a lukewarm review....

 

[VintageSnarker]

Posted: 9/7/15 at 11:20pm

"Too many discussions concerning comparisons between the musical and the movie are worrisome. When it first opened did people really care how Hello Dolly compared with the movie The Matchmaker?"

I think the difference is Amelie and for that matter most recent movie to musical adaptations are betting on the name recognition of the original property. You can't advertise Amelie and then chafe when people get there and expect to see Amelie.

[Fantod]

Posted: 9/8/15 at 2:42am

Exactly what VintageSnarker said.

It's not that hard to make a romance plot. Make your own musical if you want to make something mediocre, but Amelie is anything but mediocre, and somehow managing to remove all uniqueness from the movie is just about the worst thing you can do.

[Brick]

Posted: 9/8/15 at 11:03am

It will be interesting to see if the NYTimes reviews it. It hasn't been announced for Bway, so it's possible it'll be spared.

And without them coming out, I imagine Variety will still review it. Beyond that, there are only a couple voices/papers in the area worth reading; the rest are all blogs or papers without very good critics.

[lite2shine]

Posted: 9/8/15 at 1:29pm

Brick said: "It will be interesting to see if the NYTimes reviews it. It hasn't been announced for Bway, so it's possible it'll be spared.

 

NYT did review American Idiot at BR, not sure if they already announced going to Broadway at that time. NYT reviewed Up Here at La Jolla too but maybe that's because it's Bobby Lopez' new show. 

[Wayman_Wong]

Posted: 9/9/15 at 9:00pm

The rule of thumb seems to be: If a show officially has announced it's doing an out-of-town tryout before arriving on Broadway, the Times tends to lay off. But if a show is trying out and hasn't announced any Broadway plans, the Times uses its discretion in covering it (it's usually Isherwood, who appears to enjoy scouting regional theaters). There are exceptions: ''The Last Ship,'' the Sting show, had announced it was trying out in Chicago before its Broadway debut, but the Times went to cover it anyway. 

Isherwood was a champion of ''American Idiot'' at Berkeley Rep, and raved even more when it moved to NYC (obviously encouraged by his notice). He also gushed about ''An American in Paris'' on Broadway (which also had a book by Craig Lucas). I suspect Isherwood will want to weigh in on ''Amelie,'' too. 

[Broadwaybabies]

Posted: 9/10/15 at 7:53am

From what I hear, Phillipa Soo has been involved in numerous Amelie' workshops in the past , along with Adam Chanler-Berat. Who in my opinion makes an amazing Nino, and she an amazing Amelie'. The pair had great chemistry in the lab that I saw last year-

[haterobics]

Posted: 9/10/15 at 10:16am

I've enjoyed ACB in everything, good to hear he is in this...

[JBroadway]

Posted: 9/12/15 at 10:25pm

So far I've only found these 2 reviews:

 

SFGate (Very positive)

http://www.sfgate.com/performance/article/Am-lie-is-a-dream-of-a-musical-at-Berkeley-6500931.php

 

Mercury News (mixed to negative)

http://www.mercurynews.com/entertainment/ci_28801496/review-new-musical-amelie-charms-but-needs-work

[Jeffrey Karasarides]

Posted: 9/14/15 at 1:46pm

Just announced they are extending by one week.

http://www.theatermania.com/san-francisco-theater/news/amelie-extends-at-berkeley-repertory-theatre_74187.html?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=14sep2015

[skies]

Posted: 9/14/15 at 3:03pm

Wish Amelie well.

Strikes me as more of an off Broadway type of show, but you never know.

[notalwaysontime]

Posted: 9/15/15 at 4:54am

So excited they're extending! Gives me a little more time to try and catch it again.

[broadwaysfguy]

Posted: 9/15/15 at 9:16am

Karen d'sousa at sj mercury news, who reviews all the bay area musicals and is pretty even handed in her analysis and writing, parallels much of my thoughts shared earlier about the strong potential for the Amelie musical and the two main gaps that need to be filled for this to go to broadway:

care more about Amelie and the other main character

a few more blockbuster songs

tighten the story a bit(agree about less on amilies childhood)

great job again Karen at SJ merc

[Jeffrey Karasarides]

Posted: 9/16/15 at 7:49am

Could it be heading to Broadway this Spring?

http://nypost.com/2015/09/16/amelie-based-on-the-french-movie-seems-broadway-bound/

[JBroadway]

Posted: 9/16/15 at 8:39am

I hope so, but I wouldn't trust Reidel's word on it. In fact, now that Reidel says it is, I'm more inclined to believe that it isn't. 

 

Reideil says: "If they can get the right house, “Amélie” could be a late, surprise entry in the spring season, one that might hold back a “Hamilton” tide at the Tonys."

 

You guys know I like this musical and want it to succeed, but there's no way it's touching Hamilton. I can see Amelie getting a lighting nod, a set nod, MAYBE a score nod, and if they're REALLY REALLY lucky, a Best Musical Nod. 

 

Still, it could theoretically find a space, and I hope it does. As crowded as this season seems, there actually are still a few available theatres for the Spring. 

 

 

Updated On: 9/16/15 at 08:39 AM

[Jeffrey Karasarides]

Posted: 9/16/15 at 9:04am

^Not to mention that Samantha Barks could be joining what seems to be an already competitive race for Leading Actress in a Musical:

 

Laura Benanti-She Loves Me
Cynthia Erivo-The Color Purple
Audra McDonald-Shuffle Along
Jessie Mueller-Waitress
Phillipa Soo-Hamilton
Ana Vilafane-On Your Feet!

[broadwaysfguy]

Posted: 9/16/15 at 10:49am

have to agree with JB here that Amelie is a broadway caliber show with tweaks, and could even get several nominations, but not likely to take away from the Hamilton accolades for 2016....

Jeffrey, the possibility of Jessie Mueller going back to back for best actress is intriguing

has anyone ever pulled that off before?

 

[Jeffrey Karasarides]

Posted: 9/16/15 at 11:12am

^Donna Murphy won her first Tony Award for Passion in 1994 and her second for The King & I two years later.

[jacobsnchz14]

Posted: 9/16/15 at 11:30am

I just need to know if this is happening so I can make room in my trip or not for March... if anything, I see this being one of the big musicals that will open on the Tony cut-off date. Love Samantha Barks, so hoping for this.

[ChairinMain]

Posted: 9/16/15 at 1:13pm

A source close to the show tells me an NYC run is in the works but they have yet to find a theater.

[Kad]

Posted: 9/16/15 at 1:36pm

According to Riedel, EVERYTHING that's opening this season on Broadway is a major threat to Hamilton. Waitress, Amelie, Shuffle Along, a new hot dog cart. Everything.

[broadwaysfguy]

Posted: 9/16/15 at 2:33pm

there is one point which is hamilton will have been out

for almost 16 months between off broadway and broadway

by the time tony voters mark their boxes....

a long time for theatre goers to not be looking at the new shiny object(witness this group)

Im glad Amelie is likely going to broadway

 

 

[thegourmez]

Posted: 9/20/15 at 4:45pm

Hey guys, I just saw Amelie on Friday night and thoroughly enjoyed it! I put up a lengthy review on my website today, so I'm just going to link you over there if you're interested in more details on my thoughts. You should note, though, that obstructed view seats suck at this theater, so I'd recommend paying full price. I think I missed a fair bit of the show!

[Wayman_Wong]

Posted: 9/20/15 at 5:07pm

''Donna Murphy won her first Tony Award for Passion in 1994 and her second for The King & I two years later.''

I love Donna Murphy, but she probably wouldn't have won that 2nd Tony if Julie Andrews had kept quiet about the Tony nominators' ''egregious'' snubbing of her entire ''Victor/Victoria'' cast & creative team. ... Julie should've just won her Tony and then saluted her ''V/V'' colleagues in her acceptance speech. It's crazy that the classy leading lady who originated the iconic roles of Eliza Doolittle and Guinevere still has no Tony. 

Updated On: 9/20/15 at 05:07 PM

[JBroadway]

Posted: 9/23/15 at 4:37pm

Another extension. This bodes well for them, I think. 

https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/World-Premiere-of-AMELIE-Starring-Samantha-Barks-Extends-Once-More-20150923