I've been quite a theater geek ever since my parents took me to my first Broadway show - Les Miserables, which was probably not the most ideal first exposure for young children experiencing Broadway. But you definitely appreciate more of that as you get older. Certainly, the content and styles of Broadway musicals have changed over the years .While I generally prefer the classic musical styles produced by Andrew Lloyd Weber or Claude-Michel Shonberg, I'm definitely excited to see all the newcomers to Broadway such as our newest addition, Amelie! Granted, I must say the primary reason why this musical received so much buzz is because of the lead cast, Philippa Soo, and for those who don't know, she originated the role of Eliza Hamilton in the hit musical, Hamilton. I watched Hamilton and yes, she was good but she didn't shine there as much as she did in Amelie. I think her voice as Amelie was much more powerful than she was as Eliza. Other than her star power, she also represents a deeply underrepresented group of people in Broadway theater and that is Asian-Americans. Ever since Lea Salonga (Miss Saigon, Princess Jasmine, etc), there hasn't been much lead roles for Asians in theater that reached serious stardom and I'm glad Soo is getting the recognition she deserves.
But moving on to Amelie the Musical, I really do recommend that people watch the movie first before watching the musical. Amelie is a French film (read: subtitles are a must unless you understand Francais) and it's a really quirky film on so many levels. I think it took me 2 or 3 times re-watching the film to really truly appreciate its quirkiness. When I heard that they were going to turn it into a musical, I was curious to see how they were going to translate some of the strange film moments into a theatrical performance. They definitely nailed certain elements of it but I also felt they could have toned down on some of the awkward moments that didn't really translate well from film to stage. People will have mix feelings about this musical because it's either you love or hate the movie....or just don't get the quirkiness. But it is now showing at the Walt Kerr Theater, which is a super tiny theater, and there is no intermission. Yes, no 15 minute intermission so for those who need bathroom breaks, you must go before the show starts.
The musical numbers were very bright and uplifting, but it wasn't like a "One Day More" (Les Mis) or "Satisfied" (Hamilton) kind of moment. Honestly, the lyrics weren't really catchy enough for me to sing-along. But they were pleasant to listen to. Overall, the entire cast was great except I don't think Adam Chanler-Berat, who plays the other lead role as Nino, was very good. I felt he didn't put in as much chemistry as Soo did and quite frankly, I find his voice to be a little annoying. I saw him in the play, Peter and the Starcatcher, in which he originated the role as Peter and his voice just wasn't musical to my ears. The supporting cast members were phenomenal and to their credit, they really made the show more entertaining than I expected. Sometimes it's the supporting cast members that really keep the show going and I think they deserve the same recognition and fame as the lead stars. Unfortunately, that's the reality of show business. read more