Amélie The Musical theatre review: Amélie Poulain’s imagination is a whimsical fantasy set in 90s Paris.
Amélie (Audrey Brisson) is a girl trapped in her own small world for fear of truly immersing herself in the real one. Her family upbringing was choked by a neurotic mother and a father more interested in his gnomes than an actual conversation with his daughter.
Also as her doctor, he provides Amélie with monthly checkups and diagnoses her with a weak heart, and smothers her. What he can’t see is her amazing gift for romance and her strong imagination which takes her away from it all.
She first appears as her younger self as a puppet to play out her childhood traumas, including the death of her only friend a goldfish, whose life is so stressful it commits suicide by jumping from the fish-tank. The unfortunate death of her mother, who is crushed by a falling suicide victim, is brushed off with Amélie’s sense of humour. Her mother’s ashes then become interred in the Gnome which she hated the most, but Amelie has other ideas and sends the Gnome on a round the world trip to allow her to travel without being controlled by her father. This and several other clever comedic moments make this a very humorous play.
Fast forward a few years and Amélie now works at a café in Paris in the mid-nineties, when Princess Diana died. This ties the show more tightly than the film version to that period, while also painting a vivid romantic picture of Paris which could belong in any time in the 21st century. This does, however, allow for Amélie’s imagination to paint herself as Diana, in a fantastic scene where her own eulogy is sung by Elton John in a white-winged suit. Some poetic license with the film material allows this version to create its own identity while still maintaining the originals quirky style.
Related: Dannie Mac joins Amélie The Musical tour
Amélie sees herself as the one to help all her friends with their love life problems but is unable to fix her own. When she meets Nino (Danny Mac) she has to push herself to open up and say what is truly in her heart. Their romantic interest is triggered when she spots him working on an art project collecting discarded photo booth pictures in a metro station in an album which he loses. With help from her friends, she eventually plucks up the courage to return it.
What is striking about the show is its sense of style and warmth, combining the original story with French folky songs performed by the actors sometimes while also changing scenery. The performance by Audrey Brisson is beautiful, expressive and draws you in. The show focuses closely on fine details of her existence, sometimes at the expense of progressing the story, which resulted in perhaps a slightly long second half. However, this is a fantastic romance with a strong Parisian identity, if you liked the film you will love this musical.
Amélie The Musical is running at the New Victoria Theatre, Woking until 31st August 2019 before continuing its nationwide tour.
