Amelie ... curious, enchanting, entertaining and a beautifully crafted piece of pure theatre!
What a delight this talented lot produce, in typically Watermill Theatre style the cast play instruments, sing and act seamlessly. With up to 16 people on stage you might expect confusion and clutter, no such thing, beautiful choreography keeps the story moving and the pictures clean and there are some gorgeous, subtle, moments of group movement that really silently convey all we need to know. Also some really slow, quiet, almost silent movies sections have been allowed to creep in, especially towards the end, beautiful. The whole ensemble work all the time, you could see this show several times and catch a new nuance, a new off-line action, a new expression, every time.
A flexible set is train, street, cafe, apartment, station, Paris! All helped by cleverly crafted lighting and the soundscape provided both by the sound designer and the cast-orchestra.
Perfomances are universally strong with Audrey Brisson's Amelie a genuine delight to watch and a particularly strong characterisation of Amelie's father from Jez Unwin. Churlish though to select a few from the many who make this such a special evening.
Delightful in the true sense of the word