Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Tickets and more information: https://lwtheatres.co.uk/whats-on/amelie/
Booking until: 1st February 2020
Run time: 2hr 30mins

After missing the Broadway production back in 2017 by a few weeks, I was so determined to catch this new production that has made The Other Palace its home for the New Year period. Based on the acclaimed 2001 French film, Amelie follows a young shy woman who is determined to bring kindness to everyone she meets but in secret. However, when an opportunity for love arises, Amelie must risk her anonymity and find happiness for herself.

Firstly, I have to note it is so refreshing to actually have a show that’s set in France where the actors are actually performing with French accents. Usually those shows set in France are performed with the actors natural accents (like Les Miserables) or in American accents (like the Broadway production of Amelie did). It worked well here because it added an extra layer of authenticity to the piece.

Audrey Brisson leads the cast as Amelie and she was an absolute delight to watch. I felt her performance was thoroughly engaging and she made Amelie into a truly relatable character. Her singing voice is also stunning which just illuminated the beautiful, folk-like score by Daniel Messe and Nathan Tysen. The entire cast performed the show with instruments themselves. I often feel like actor/musician casts don’t often work but it did here as I thought this felt quite organic to the piece due to all of the characters having a hand at narrating the story throughout the show. The set design by Madeleine Girling was really well done in how different set pieces acted as multiple different props depending on the scene which was clever. I also highly admired the fact Amelie came and went by hanging on a lamp that moved from the bottom of the stage to the top as this emphasized how sheltered she was from the rest of the world.

Overall, I found Amelie to be a wonderful, delightful show that left me feeling all warm and fuzzy inside. It’s no wonder the Watermill Theatre production/tour has been so successful and I’m glad I managed to catch the show in it’s run in London.

Until next time,