An atypical musical romantic comedy about an inspiring, imaginative dreamer will be staged at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point April 14-16 and 20-22.
“Amélie,” a musical based on the 2001 French film by Guillaume Laurant and Jean-Pierre Jeunet, will be staged in the Studio Theatre of the Noel Fine Arts Center, 1800 Portage St., Stevens Point, by the Department of Theatre and Dance. Shows are at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, April 14 and 15, and Thursday through Saturday, April 20-22, with matinees at 2 p.m. on Sunday, April 16, and Saturday, April 22. It is part of the “What Lies Beneath” theatre and dance season.
Tickets are $27 for adults, $24 for seniors and UW-Stevens Point faculty and staff, and $16 for youth. Tickets are available at tickets.uwsp.edu, by calling 715-346-4100 or by visiting the Information and Tickets Office in the Dreyfus University Center in Stevens Point. Tickets may also be available at NFAC one hour prior to each performance.
Parisian Amélie lives quietly in the world but loudly in her mind. Her imagination inspires her to covertly improvise small acts of kindness that bring joy and mayhem. She begins a quest to find the owner of a lost object, and in turn, discovers who she is and finds love along the way.
“Anything is possible in Amélie’s imagination,” said Professor Mark Hanson, musical theatre, the show’s director. Members of the cast of 12 take on multiple roles, creating eccentric, over-the-top characters, including a garden gnome, Elton John and the French artist Renoir.
These characters narrate Amélie’s story, introducing themselves in song.
“The show has its own contemporary sound. It’s not a typical Broadway score,” Hanson said. The intimate staging of the Studio Theatre, with an audience close to the stage, and a live orchestra performing on stage adds to the energy of the show, he said.
“The show is a great metaphor for how we had been living for a while during the pandemic and how we are relearning to connect with the world and each other,” said Hanson. “Amélie has to do the same. By doing good, she starts a chain reaction and inspires people to be brave and to not be afraid of the world, to do something for others and pay it forward.”