The musical adaptation of five time Oscar nominated French dramedy 'Amélie' will debut in the 2016-17 Broadway season, opening April 3rd at the Walter Kerr Theater. The music will be composed by Daniel Messé (member of Hem), with lyrics by Messé and Nathan Tysen (The Mysteries of Harris Burdick), and a book written by Craig Lucas (The Light in the Piazza, The Dying Gaul). In addition, 'Hamilton' actress Phillipa Soo will play the title character.
Before Broadway, there was the film
The original 2001 film was directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet (Alien Resurrection, The Prodigious T.S.
Spivet), marking his second solo feature project (Delicatessen and City of the Lost Children were co-directed by artist Marc Caro). It's the story of Amélie, a sheltered and naive Parisian girl with eccentric parents. Following the death of Princess Diana, and the discovery of old mementos, she decides to help others. The film was a colossal success, grossing over $173 million against its tiny $10 million budget, and launched Audrey Tautou to stardom. The film also garnered multiple awards from around the world, including the European Film Awards, the Cesar Awards and the BAFTAs. At the 74th Academy Awards, the film was nominated Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Foreign Language Film, Best Original Screenplay and Best Sound.
Amélie arrives on Broadway after trials
Previously, the musical had had its premiere at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre, on September 11, 2015, followed by a run in Los Angeles, December 4, 2016 to January 15, 2017. By and large, the cast for the three productions has remained the same, save for a couple of changes. These include the title role (Samantha Barks originated the role at Berkeley, before Soo took over in Los Angeles), Raphael/Bretodeaux (John Hickok at Berkeley, Manoel Feliciano at Los Angeles and Broadway), Gina (Carla Duren at Berkeley, Harriet D. Foy from Los Angeles onwards) and Lucien (Perry Sherman at Berkeley, Heath Calvert from Los Angeles onwards).
