Amélie is a musical based on the 2001 romantic comedy film of the same name with music by Daniel Messé, lyrics by Messé and Nathan Tysen and a book by Craig Lucas. The musical premiered at Berkeley Repertory Theatre in September 2015. The musical opened on Broadway in the Walter Kerr theatre on March 9, 2017 (first preview) April 3rd, 2017 was the official opening night and closed on May 21, 2017.
A substantially transformed production, with new orchestrations, an expanded repertoire of songs, and new staging in the actor/muso style, opened on the West End in December 2019, at the Other Palace. Critics praised its improvements on the Broadway version, with The Guardian describing it as "a triumph of adaptation" "high on imagination", while The Daily Telegraph lauded the "wonderful, wistful evening" it made. It was nominated for three awards at the 2020 Laurence Olivier Awards: Best New Musical, Best Original Score or New Orchestrations, and Best Actress in a Musical (for Audrey Brisson as Amélie).
Productions
Daniel Messé (of Hem) wrote the lyrics with Nathan Tysen, Craig Lucas wrote the book, and Messé wrote the music in the adaptation of the movie for the stage.
Berkeley Repertory Theatre (2015) Amélie had its premiere at Berkeley Repertory Theatre. The musical was directed by Pam MacKinnon and starred Samantha Barks in the titular role of Amélie, with scenic and costume design by David Zinn, lighting design by Jane Cox and Mark Barton and projections by Peter Nigrini.
Los Angeles (2016) The musical opened at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles in a pre-Broadway engagement, running from December 4, 2016 to January 15, 2017 with Phillipa Soo taking over the role of Amélie. The cast for the Los Angeles and Broadway productions includes Adam Chanler-Berat, Manoel Felciano, and Tony Sheldon.
Broadway (2017) The musical opened on Broadway at the Walter Kerr Theatre on March 9, 2017, in previews, officially on April 3. Direction is by Pam MacKinnon with musical staging and choreography by Sam Pinkleton. Puppet design is by Amanda Villalobos. The show closed on May 21, 2017, after 27 previews and 56 regular performances.
Japan (2018) The musical opened at The Galaxy Theater in Tokyo, Japan for a limited engagement on May 18 to June 3, 2018. The musical then opened for a limited engagement at Morinomiya Piloti Hall, Osaka, on June 7 to June 10. Direction was by Akiko Kodama with choreography by Kuroda Eriko and Nishikawa Taku. The production used a new staging by Yagi Emiko and was translated into Japanese by Shigai Tsu. The cast for the Japanese production included Watanabe Mayu as Amélie and Atsuhi Ota as Nino.
Germany (2019) The musical, under the title "Die fabelhafte Welt der Amélie" (The Fabulous World of Amélie) had its European premiere in Germany in February 2019 at the Werk7 Theater in Munich produced by Uschi Neuss and Joop Van Den Ende. On the 13th of November 2018 It was announced that Sandra Leitner would star as Amélie in the German production.
UK (2019–2021) The musical premiered in the United Kingdom at the Watermill Theatre in Newbury, where it ran from 11 April to 18 May 2019, before embarking on a UK tour. Directed by Michael Fentiman, the production is noted for using the actor-muso approach, where the actors themselves provides the musical accompaniment. Fentiman and his creative team worked with original collaborators Messé, Tysen, and Lucas to amend the show, making changes such as splitting it into two acts separated by an intermission, the reinstitution of songs from out-of-town tryouts, and the reshuffling of scenes. The final book is what is now licensed through Concord Theatricals. The original Watermill cast included Audrey Brisson as Amélie and Chris Jared as Nino. Danny Mac later joined the cast as Nino. The production made its London debut at The Other Palace during the Christmas season, from 29 November 2019 until 1 February 2020. The entire UK tour cast (with the exception of Mac, who was replaced by Jared) reprised their respective roles in the London run. The show was favourably reviewed.
The show was nominated for 3 Laurence Olivier Awards, including Best New Musical and Best Actress in a Musical for Brisson, in the 2020 ceremony. The show's album was also nominated for Best Musical Theater Album in the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards in 2021.
The production transferred to the West End for a limited run at the Criterion Theatre, with its first performance on the 20th May 2021. The majority of the original London cast reprised their respective roles, including Brisson and Jared as Amélie and Nino respectively.