We round up the reviews for this popular musical based on the film, now playing at the Criterion Theatre until the 25th September.
WhatsOnStage: **** “It may not be a great musical, or even a very coherent one, but Amélie is undeniably successful as a fanciful Valentine to the City of Light, and, in this iteration, as a celebration of the unbeatable power of live music.”
LondonTheatre1: **** “while the musical numbers don’t quite soar in the way in which many West End musicals have done, the core message of spreading goodness around is apt in these still uncertain times.”
iNews: **** “This is a treat – a lip-licking délice of a show, oozing charm, with a lead performance from Audrey Brisson that is the glossy cherry on the top.”
The Telegraph: *** “The plot is too complex and the accents are dippy, but it’s hard not to enjoy this stage version of the widely-loved 2001 romcom.”
Broadway World: **** “This essential ingredient, however, slightly hinders the isolation and alienation of the original characters. The cast crowd the space, leaving Amélie’s solitude to the imagination rather than building an observable representation of her state of mind. Anyway, the show is, as a whole, absolutely delightful and thoroughly magical.”
The Upcoming: **** “Amelie: The Musical isn’t trying to make a statement – it’s having too much fun for that. But in its presentation of a fractured city that needs a vigilante to cheer its citizens up, it reflects fractured urban living. Viewers should try not to think about it too much.”
The Reviews Hub: **** 1/2 “The original film was most notable for its quirky humour, which is captured well in Craig Lucas’ book and the song lyrics by Nathan Tysen and composer Daniel Messé.”
The Times: *** “From its opening moments with a Montmartre accordionist (blind, naturally) you know Amélie is stereotyped escapism. This revived musical of the 2001 French cinema rom-com does for Paris what Richard Curtis films do for England.”
The Man in the Grand Circle: **** “After months of Covid misery for the theatre industry, this show feels like a joyful – if somewhat surreal – shot in the arm.”
Theatre Weekly: **** “Director Michael Fentiman has captured the whimsical nature of the film particularly well; Amélie lives in a world of imagination and that is recreated on stage with this magical quality to it, helped to some degree by the imaginative use of puppetry and props which aren’t always what they first seem.”
Mickey Jo Theatre.co.uk: “Though all good things must eventually end, I selfishly long for a permanent spot for a show with this much heart, ingenuity and aspiration in the West End – when Amélie has touched her last soul and performed her final act of anonymous charity at the Criterion Theatre, the hearts and minds of everyone lucky enough to have seen it will be far richer for the experience.”
The Guardian: *** “The show could be tighter and lighter, the music a bit more Gallic, but its unabashed bid to bring joy, promote everyday kindness and rekindle hope couldn’t be more pertinent.”
Amélie The Musical continues to play at the Criterion Theatre. To book tickets click here or visit: Love Theatre.com, Theatre Tickets Direct or From the Box Office.