Review: ‘Amélie’ Is Easy to Listen To, but Never Really Sings

I was sitting in the third row of the orchestra and was completely swept away by Phillipa Soo. She is so extraordinarily pleasing to the eyes and ears. Luckily I am not a critic and was able to let the show thoroughly brighten my day. I think Ms. Soo nailed portraying Amelie as an adorable, albeit quiet and constricted woman with a longing that fears closeness. Her character touches and captures your heart and makes you want her to find what she has been denied and has denied herself her whole life. I cannot fathom why the show is not a sustainable hit. Bravo to Ms. Soo and her very talented cast mates! Thank you for a wonderful, memorable time at the theater!

I saw this in L.A. and LOVED it. Clearly by the majority of other comments here from people who loved it, Ben Brantley must have had a bit of undigested bit of beef before seeing the show that caused him to hallucinate like Ebenezer Scrooge.

There comes a time in a lot of people's lives when they've just been doing the same thing over and over for too long and become jaded. I fear that's happened to Brantley. To not be able to walk into the Walter Kerr theater and enjoy this musical more than he did, is just very, very sad.

Took the extended family to see Amelie this weekend; we all loved it without reservation. Most of us had never seen the film so we had no expectations about whether the musical would live up to it (or not).

Upbeat and fun. Great score; fabulous cast. Staging was inventive (actually more than one could take in in one performance - we talked afterwards about aspects one of us had seen and others missed completely).

As a person who grew up on traditional musicals, I love how the younger generation is revising musical theater. Shows like Amelie are moving traditions forward in exciting ways.

If you want a fun couple of hours that will leave you smiling and hopeful (and maybe reflecting a bit both on serendipity and life's dreamers), Amelie is your show.

I went on Thursday and found Amelie to be far better than the reviewer led me to believe. Philippa Soo is an astounding singer and actress, surpassed only by Kelli O'Hara in South Pacific. The ensemble was very strong, unlike several other shows I have seen this year. And the sets and staging were so imaginative and clever, and so much a part of the whimsical feel to the show! We had cheap seats in the back of the balcony and could see perfectly. I loved it

This is definitely not a musical for pretentious snobs who only find meaning in angst and controversy. However, if you don't mind feeling good about the world, and if you don't mind feeling good about yourself, then this musical has a lot to offer. No, it did not add any meaning to my life; I already have plenty, thank you. What it did add was an hour and forty minutes of sheer entertainment.

It's simple: if you loved the movie, as millions of people worldwide did, you'll be enchanted by the musical. I went because my grown-up daughter was in town and wanted to see it. I didn't expect much. I was simply delighted by its charm, by Philippa Soo's voice, and by its surprisingly musical score. I've been going to Broadway musicals for sixty years, and will simply state that while it's not My Fair Lady, it's way better than the reviews might suggest.

I saw it today. It was so clever and funny and artsy that I felt humbled by the talent of others.
I loved the cast, except for the male lead who was so obviously gay that I couldn't believe him in the role. It's not about his preferences, it's about his acting. He was playing the part of the guy in a guy/girl relationship and I couldn't suspend disbelief. I tried.
My only other complaint was the lack of a song vehicle that really showcased the vocal ability of the leading lady, who apparently had the pipes for anything.
The show STILL gets an A-.
Very entertaining throughout and well made and thoughtful with comedy in all the right places. Loved the musicians. Loved the sets.

I saw a preview from this show in Los Angeles back in December and I loved it. The show celebrates innocence which is a quality which is often overlooked or made fun of in our society. No, it's not exactly traditional "broadway" but it's beautiful in a simple way. This show teaches you to appreciate life. It is unapologetically whimsical. I smiled big as I watched it. Thank you to Phillipa and the rest of the cast for giving a great performance.

I just saw this show on Broadway. I didn't see the film or its prior runs on the stage.

Short of it: I loved it. It was fun, touching and whimsical. The Elton John scene was a blast!

Amelie was a vehicle to brighten the wattage of the star, Ms. Soo, who lacked the vulnerability to pull off a do-gooder naïf. Also the quirky costumes don't translate into quirky character. While the singing was technically good, it was not heartfelt. I expected a fun, feel-good play, but was left feeling flat.

The accompanied video of Ms. Soo singing "Times Are Hard For Dreamers" exemplified the subdued character Mr. Brantley writes about. I expected to see a more heartfelt performance. However, Ms. Soo is a major talent (she reminded me of Sutton Foster at times) and I look forward to her stellar career.

It was an unfulfilling experience. The attempt to be charming resulted in being just corny. While watching this, I thought this doesn't belong on Broadway.

I live in Paris in Montmartre not far from where AMELIE was filmed. Amelie was the biggest hit ever in France with 10 million spectators. Jeunet not only created an unique artistic view on his Paris ( love it or hate it) but also created one of the most creative film forms . So many other commercials and films have copied his narrative style. This unique style is what gave AMELIE it soul..along with Treason's score . The days of auteur films are over...Fast TV is the new flavour of the month...I am nostalgic for the old days in cinema!

I saw the show in its debut in Berkeley (then with Samantha Barks in its title role), and found it incredibly charming and endearing. I liked it so much that I went to LA to see its pre-Broadway run - and was shocked how much I was turned off by many changes the show had made over a year. While there were great changes such as a more structured opening sequence, the show was trying very hard to be "Broadway" by adding a big number that did little for the characters, switching songs between characters that hurt the footing of the story, and placing projections that might undermine the intimacy the show had created. I was rather disappointed after the LA viewing. I hope the show could somehow find its charm back, I still think there are some goodies there to be tasted.

Interesting that Amelie is inspired by Princess Diana so much in the play--in the movie, the shock of Diana's death forces Amelie outside of her routine enough to jar her into wanting to help people, but Diana's legacy itself was not really the catalyst. Part of the movie's charm was its insistence that the physical world all around us--and our constant improvisation within it--is what inspires and shapes us, not the distant faces in the media. In our age of earnest self-containment, we probably do long for the quirky immediacy of the late 90s, but artists operating with today's sensibilities don't seem able to capture the old, delightful grunge.

Based on a terrible movie why would anyone think this could be good? And that song posted with the review sounds like every new song from every new show for the past 10 years.

I loved the movie Amelie so much that I planned a trip from Boise to NYC around seeing the musical. Phillipa Soo's sang well, but there was little else to recommend this production. The charm of the movie was missing, and the staging seemed old-school, pedestrian. Fortunately, an immersive Great Comet, a penetrating Oslo, and a surprisingly imaginative Groundhog Day provided an antidote to what could have been a listless vacation.

I'm concerned about how faithful it is or isn't to the source material. By necessity, the audience must be allowed into Amelie's head, whereas in the film her motivations were mostly provided by way of an external source, leading the audience to wonder what exactly her motivations were. That's part of the charm and her mysteriousness. Does the musical maintain this level of mystery? Also, is she married to the Mice King in this version? And is her staff a lollipop?

Thanks. Won't see it. I love the opera... not evrey opera, but your get your money's worth.

I saw the opening night performance... and saw (and loved) the film when it first came out. And this new musical touched my heart in some ways to an even greater extent than the wonderful film did. Why? Because I can relate to the story of two awkward, quirky people finding each other... and working through their shy personalities to let love into their lives.
For the record, I'm 62 and was raised by parents who were both in show business. So, I've been a Broadway musical fan since childhood. And the creativity that went into translating the unique film that is Amelie into a musical blew me away. I was very curious to see how they did that. And I was delighted with the results. But it was how the human story at the show's heart was portrayed... and the wonderful acting all around... that I will remember.
I cannot speak to why Mr. Brantley didn't like the show. But I loved it. And I hope a lot of people take the chance on seeing this production... especially those who know finding love isn't easy. I think they will be very happy they did.

Is it just me, or are the Times theater reviewers much more hesitant to call a dog a dog than the paper's movie reviewers? I've recently started reading the theater reviews...have been reading the movie reviews for too long to remember..and the theater reviewers are far kinder. I haven't seen this play, but I had to read between the lines to get what the reviewer was telling me..or what i think he was telling me..which was, among other things, if I were in New York, and eager to see a play, this wouldn't be the one to spend my money on.

An over the top sweet musical, such as the lovely and very entertaining movie Amelie, might be better received than the artificial substitute.

Still, many people enjoy the artificial substitute. A sign of the Times.

Sadly, this show was a truly soporific experience, a real snoozer. I feel like we're seeing a slew of Broadway scores by bubblegum pop writers who can't write for character or situation, but only for bland prettiness. That's certainly the case with Messé, a folk-pop semi-success who has turned to the theatre when album sales declined.

The problem may stem from an inability to understand that theatre music has not been pop music since around 1960. And there's nothing wrong with that. Instead of trying to shoehorn theatre into a mindless pop sensibility, audiences and writers allow it to flourish as its own art form.

Americans try to recuperate everything to make money. Amelie was a bad film.for tourists. Real Parisians hate it.Full of cliches that are insults to the culture of Paris .Jeunet ,the director was later condemned for asking money,and getting money from the CNC ( French national film commission ) for a film he produced with Warner Bros . He had to give the money back .But Americans think Amelie is cool . It is like :es Miserables ,an endless source of revenue by distording and disrespecting the culture of others . A fake french culture.

I saw the show last week and thought it was very well presented. The opening scene (Amelie as a child) while cute and giving backstory was not my favorite. I did enjoy the set, lighting and use of props that embodied the art form of musical theater. While dancing was not a big feature of the production movement was tight and perfectly complemented the exceptional singing. I think this show is a great example of an up to date musical theater experience. Comparing this show to Natasha and Pierre is like comparing apples to oranges. Both shows are excellent in their own way, it just depends what you are in the mood for.

I saw Amelie and the magic in the show lit up the stage. Phillipa Soo did an amazing job, and her name is spelled Phillipa, not Philippa. Overall, Amelie was beautiful.

I was prepared to take the Brantley review at face value until encountering his cheap, "inside Broadway" reference/comparison to "mooney 'Brdges of Madison County'" in a negative way. Seemed like he was settling some old score by taking a jab at a show in which Pippa Soo's fiancé Steve Pasquale soared! And that beautiful Jason Robert Brown Bridges music for which he won a Tony--well I digress. The Brantley reference was too cute by a measure and signals something smelly in his panning of Amelie.

Not to mention that the haunting music of Yann Tiersen really gave the movie its boost.

Ugh, this sounds about as French -and about and palatable-as I figured it would be. Why anyone thought that this very Gallic film -from over 16 years ago-would even translate in the U.S. is a complete misfire and mystery. It sounds gagalicious and putrid. While Phillippa Soo may be talented, I"m sure she has none of Audrey Tatou's genuine French flavor and charm. And while the film did push the limits of whimsy and flights of fancy, because the director was French and understood the culture-as Brantley more or less states in his review-he knew how to reign it back and keep it authentic. This just sounds like Disney's version of Paris. I'm sure it'll lose money and flop, considering that the Spring and summer surge of tourists from the hinterlands never saw/heard of the movie (and most of the kids weren't born then) and will head straight to "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory". This is definitely a MUST MISS.

I thought a big part of the movie's appeal was Yann Tiersen's sparkling soundtrack, which used traditional French instruments such as accordion and mandolin. I still listen to the soundtrack at home, and it never fails to remind me of Paris. It is truly unlike any other film soundtrack I've ever owned - most others use pop songs or orchestral pieces. I am surprised that the producers of this film did not somehow engage with Mr. Tiersen (unless I'm missing something in this review) at least to contribute.

I saw the play, opening preview night in NYC, and was so disappointed. Totally agree with the review, especially found Ms. Soo's performance very much lacking in energy and charisma.

Oh well. Purchased my ticket during a buying frenzy in February; figured how bad could it be with Phillipa Soo? I'm sure it won't be the worst production I've ever sat through; besides, we can always use extra doses of "it's so cute!"

Here's an indication a show is in trouble (and boy, was Amélie in trouble): Los Angeles audiences tend to give every show at the Ahmanson a standing ovation. At the end of this show, the audience sat on its hands with only a smattering of polite applause. Why? Because the show, unlike the movie, was utterly without any charm. It is way overproduced (yes, it's possible for a show to have too many loud, garish sets doing nothing to enhance the experience). I found the score to be bland and spiritless—and giving no reason to have turned this into a musical.
I was assured the authors would heavily rework the material before Amélie made it into NYC. Clearly they didn't. The faults I saw then are the same ones Mr. Brantley points out. I was speaking last week to people at the Ahmanson, and even they said the show was a real stinker for them.
This was one of those times I really felt sorry for the cast having to go through some embarrassing material. Ms. Soo was so bland because she had nothing much to do but be cipher. The score didn't soar, it limped along from song to song in support of a book without merit.
If there had been an intermission (I assume removed), there would have been a rush of people scurrying to their cars to flee Amélie. As it was, people couldn't wait to leave. Yeah, it really was THAT bad.

The movie made your teeth ache; this just sounds anodyne . . . and so many other strong shows opening all at once.

That's exactly what I was expecting him to say. Saw this in Los Angeles and even as far back as that, this musical, that I deemed 'Oh so, so-so...' was sweet and good natured and that's about all. And it seems to have only cemented in it's mediocrity. About as enthralling as Pam McKinnon's previous show, the short-lived, oddly-received David (OMG!) Mamet's "China Doll" which graced the stage of the Schoenfeld for, oh about 45 performances.

Pretty much on target. We saw this at the Ahmanson earlier this year, and were completely underwhelmed. None of the visual magic of the movie, which itself was just this side of saccharine. At best a small off-Broadway show that somehow found its way to Broadway.