I have multiple confessions to make about this show, the first of these is that I didn't know much about what it was about before I saw it. I tried googling but the synopsis was either too vague or too confusing. At this point you are probably wondering why I was gifted tickets to see it if I hardly knew anything about the show itself. I looked at the cast list and I was sold! Last year I saw Audrey Brisson play Bella Chagall in Kneehigh's "The flying lovers of Vitebsk" (which is a story in itself), I also saw her play Jiminy Cricket in “Pinocchio” at the National theatre. I was in awe, she inspired me to keep acting when I was going through a bit of a rough patch.
The second is that I didn't know that it had been on broadway last year, I went on itunes after the show to see if there was a cast recording and that's the point when I discovered that, much to my disappointment, there is only a broadway cast recording.
The third is that I discovered that it was originally a film during the interval of the show, I was waiting in line for ice cream and ended up talking to a fan (again) who kept comparing the show to the film. Generally when it comes to theatre that has previously been a film or TV show, I treat the two as separate entities and therefore don't compare them, books are the exception to this rule. I chose not to point this out, which turned out alright in the end as the fan went on to tell me about how much they were enjoying the show and I absolutely agreed.
Basically, this discussion will very much be from the point of view of a new-comer, so let's begin...SPOILER ALERT!!! Also Adult content!!
I love the plot line. It flows like a river with an occasional waterfall, a thing of beauty. From the first song plays, we are drawn into Amelie's world. Paris. Distant parents. A lie. The supposed heart defect that her parents diagnosed her with, broke my heart. From the very outset, I felt that something was wrong with that diagnosis and to my surprise, I was right. It was love. Moving deeper into the play, I thought the idea that her purpose in life is to make others happy was sweet but I couldn't help but worry that she, herself would never be happy. Oh how surprised I was when she discovered Nino. I knew from the point when her heart went crazy, that they had to be together. I didn't care about the other characters as much, they were made for eachother and that was that. From beginning to end, I was captivated and by the end I had tears in my eyes, I was moved. If that doesn't show you the true power of this musical, I don't know what will.
What set this musical apart from others as a romance, was the slow ignition of love. Most productions I have seen, have passionate and incredibly heated romances. Most productions rush into it too soon and focus on the effect of the love itself and the aftermath. "Amelie" doesn't. It showed us that love can be a difficult thing to define and explain. It showed us that love can be slow burning and that it's okay to question it. More importantly, it showed us that we don't always have to aspire to be in love. Amelie had no intention of falling for Nino, yet it happened. She took her time to debate it, she left him a trail to find her and it took them the majority of the second half to get together. In fact they don't actually become a couple until the last song at the very end of the play and even then they say that they don't know what will happen next or how long it will last for. They show us that it's okay not to know.
The puppets. I was blown away. The American cast uses a child actress to play the role of younger Amelie whereas the UK cast uses a puppet, a bold choice but one that works significantly better. This production doesn't need a child actress, it needs puppeteers and an actress with a strong voice, which is exactly what I was given when I saw it. I have to be honest, the puppet is quite creepy and I would be petrified by it if I came across it in the dark, but it really works. It helps the magic of the show come alive. What happened to Fluffy the goldfish was a Shakespearean tragedy, told perfectly through the use of a puppet. I will never be able to unsee the fig puppets. They were both beyond weird and sent shivers down my spine. Despite this, they were used effectively in the surrealist dream sequence. So all in all, the figs were used in the right places but they were really disturbing. When the garden gnome full of ashes came to life, I was so confused. I had a serious WTF moment. I didn't know wether to laugh or shrug my shoulders in confusion, so I ended up doing both. Although, it was another quality use of surrealism.
One thing I can't help but mention is the pianos. Whoever thought of hiding set pieces inside pianos and using them as set pieces is an absolute genius. The piano's were able to be played by the cast (who all played an instrument or sang, a beautiful feat of musicianship) on top of this. I was/am beyond impressed.
The producers of this play made a bold move, even bolder than "Priscilla queen of the desert" and "Magic Mike" put together. It made the audience blush with embarrassment or laugh in awkwardness or just feel shocked. Enough dancing around what it was, let's be blunt. In the scene where Amelie disguises herself as a nun in order to return Nino's book, there is a piano which opens to reveal "adult toys", as Nino and his sister work in an "adult toy" shop. Whilst watching the show, this scene threw me completely. I really wasn't expecting it. Not only had I never seen such a gutsy move being made on stage, but I had never felt so awkward. It was a trifecta of awkwardness: 1. Amelie and Nino being really awkward and shy around each other, 2. Amelie being disguised as a nun and 3. that sort of shop. In case you are curious about my reaction, I burst out awkwardly laughing whilst blushing and kept muttering under my breath "What the hell?". Funnily enough, the play had an age restriction and I didn't understand why until this moment.
There is only one thing that seriously lets this production down. The broadway cast recording, it annoys me to no end. The production is entirely set in paris, why do the actors on the cast recording not have french accents? The UK cast spends the entire performance sounding authentically French, not only does it sound beautiful but it helps transport the audience into Amelie's world. After doing some digging, I discovered that Americans generally prefer listening to cast recordings which sound American. As a result broadway cast recordings are more likely to sound American despite the setting as it sells more. This is outrageous! I understand that the people on the cast recordings have voices like sirens and I understand that productions need money in order to survive, however money should not come above everything. Musical theatre is the sweetest dream there is, it's a true experience.
When money comes first in a production it ruins almost everything, in this case it ruined my experience as a fan of the show. I can't stand listening to the American cast recording, if I wanted something which felt American, I would watch "Hamilton" or "Oklahoma". I want a true french experience, therefore I will have to wait until they make a UK cast recording (I really hope they do). It's such a shame as I really love the actual songs themselves.
My advice to musical theatre companies who are considering prioritizing money over everything else: Don't. Just don't. If you really need the money, create more merchandise, don't mess with the soundtrack. To mess with a soundtrack is to kill a theatre legacy.
That being said, here's the full broadway cast recording so you can form your own opinion of it.
That's all for this week, thank you for reading and stay tuned, next week's topic is going to be a surprise!
No comments:
Post a Comment