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REVIEW: Amélie The Musical @Devonshire Park Theatre

 

Amélie The Musical,

Devonshire Park Theatre,

Eastbourne

SO, a confession, I’d not seen the film, I like to go into these things uninformed, a musical should stand alone, proud and constructed with love and great tunes to work and shine.  I was thrilled from the tightly woven opening number, gripped by the carousel of musicians who whirled and played their way around the stage and moved by the wonderfully rich harmonics of the full cast ensemble singing.

My companion had seen, and loved the original film so was my touchstone for authenticity and was pleased that this kept mostly to the narrative of the film while still giving itself space to shine and grow in a theatrical live performance space.

It’s constructed by someone who obviously loves musicals, the protagonist’s journey whilst keeping true to the film’s original narrative having its own bursts of fantastic reimagined action and some excellent extra theatrical pieces thrown in. The music, although in the same style as the film, is original and well-constructed. Composer and lyricist Daniel Messe and Nathan Tysen working tightly together to make these songs hum, and radiate emotion, and with a large cast of strong singers doing tight and exquisite harmonies on stage this level of commitment to the message of the song, as well as the tune payed off big time.

The set is a noir Gallic delight, shifting, spinning and turning to suggest home, café,  metro/underground, street or cathedral, the colour palates and costumes are spot on, make up and soundscapes filling in the atmosphere perfectly and the lighting crew give us ambience and crepuscular style in abundance, this is a seriously well-polished show. There were some lovely visual jokes, lots of quick nods to the film, and the end of the first half, a superbly dark and surreal Elton John playing at the funeral of Lady Di was a laugh out loud delight of reimagined riotous campness. I’d like to list all the creative and technical crew who worked on this, as I was impressed on many levels, but you can check them all out here.

The narrative arc is honest, done with subtle delight and all the stage performers get a turn to shine, it’s a lovely ensemble show. Amélie is an oddly passive protagonist in many ways, and the narrative gives her the scope to develop while staying honest to her values, upbringing and oddly segued perspective on the world.  The musical constructs an engaging series of episodic moments brushing in and through peoples loneliness, distance from each other and the isolation that can create, it’s guided by the film’s narrative and also, through the joy of call-backs, reprises and reflection of songs and melody manages to bring to life the feeling of the fundamental interconnections of all things, and especially of all people.

Audrey Brisson as Amélie is touch perfect, petite, sharp, delicate, spontaneous, terrified, thrilled and open to her huge imagination. Her voice fills the space and reflects the characters simple clean strength and tenderness. I was enthralled by her performance the choreography of the stirrings of love done with engaging honesty. My companion felt her depiction of this much loved character an empathic frenzied triumph. The whole cast is simply great here, almost all of them playing instruments as they sing, dance, whirl and play, it’s a superbly choreographed piece, which – although constantly moving- gives time for reflection, contemplation and the important melancholic sadness of some of the characters to unfold.

Special mention to the puppets from Dik Downey, giving us a poignant younger Amélie and a riotously funny Gnome in the second half.

Was there anything wrong with this beautifully wrought show? Hmmm, I had the tiniest issue with the Allo’ Allo’ accents interspersed with plenty of actual French, but everyone committed completely to them and most even hit a decent Parisian accent, there was some rare muffling of some of the rather superb lyrics because of the accents, but that’s a very small observation of what was a superbly put together piece of musical theatre.

Listen very carefully, I shall say this only once;  Amelie is a superbly entertaining, heart-warming and thrilling musical, ticking all the boxes, in all the right ways and leaving you with a huge warm smile as you head home.

The Devonshire Park theatre is such a lovely space, and adds its warm comfortable charm to this superb show.

To book tickets or for more information, click here:

Until Saturday, October 14

 

MUSIC PREVIEW: Punk Politics and Pop – Siren @The Brunswick

Time keeps moving on, but Brighton lesbian band, Siren, is still here after 40 years, still writing, still rocking, still rebels to the core!

FIVE-piece lesbian indie/alternative rock band Siren emerged from the flourishing Brighton music scene in the late 70s, pushing the boundaries with their politically radical songs and punchy, eclectic style.

Siren toured nationally as a theatre company during the ‘80s, producing two albums, Siren in Queer Street and Siren Plays and some members of the group were also in Devil’s Dykes and Bright Girls (who were featured on the Brighton compilation albums “Vaultage 78” and “80”).

“[Siren] began bleeding the raw, kick-ass anarchism that their older music was all about – only now packaged up in a beautifully refined style of classic rock….. Although the politics was practically bubbling in hot fury throughout their performance that night, their wonderful sense of humour and light tales of love, were injected into each song”…….Gscene Magazine

Join the original bad girls of punk for their big birthday celebration gig at The Brunswick with sexy, soaring vocals, some damn fine musicianship with original songs and a good few covers, as well as an ‘80s quiz with prizes!

Your guaranteed a night of post punk fun, politics, pop and a bop.


Event: Siren 1979 – 2019: Punk Politics and Pop

Where: The Brunswick, 1 Holland Road, Hove, BN3 1JF

When: Friday, October 18

Time: 7.30pm

Cost: £8

To book tickets online, click here:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/sirenbrighton 

To listen to Siren, click here:


Greens call for emergency council meeting to plan for Brexit

Green Councillors on Brighton and Hove City Council call for an emergency meeting to discuss the council’s response to Brexit.

RALLYING against the suspension of Parliament by Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Green Councillors say the city’s communities must not be denied their opportunity for democratic scrutiny and debate.

Brighton and Hove City Council’s emergency plans for a ‘hard’ or ‘no-deal’ Brexit have been explored by a Brexit Working Group – a team set up to review the impact of leaving the EU on the city council. [2]

With less than two months to go before the planned date of departure from the European Union (E.U), Greens ask for the city’s communities and business to be given sight of the council’s contingency arrangements and call for a letter to be sent to Prime Minister Boris Johnson condemning his attempts to suspend Parliament – moves that Greens say prevent the city’s elected MPs from providing further scrutiny or democratic oversight.

Given the possible impacts of Brexit on the city, Councillor Phélim Mac Cafferty, Convenor of the Green Group, said that city residents “deserve to know that their elected representatives are taking the issues seriously.”

Cllr Mac Cafferty said: “As the council’s own impact assessments make painfully clear, all forms of Brexit will harm our city. We remain concerned about critical issues such as the impact on our European residents, community cohesion, the local economy and the effects felt by our many local and small businesses.

“Greens have said repeatedly that any legislation on Brexit affecting our council must be properly scrutinised – and have been horrified to witness Prime Minister Boris Johnson effectively close down Parliament, just weeks before October 31st. Suspension of Parliament is just one way that scrutiny and democratic debate has been denied to us all.

“From the news that residents who are EU citizens are struggling to obtain the right to stay in the country, to the potential impact on the peace process in Ireland, it’s clear there is so much at stake.

“The Conservative Government clearly sees no issue with leaving councils in the dark. Greens say: we owe it to our city’s communities and businesses to not only let them see how the council is preparing, but also, to know that these matters are being discussed by all 54 councillors. But above all, in a city that voted overwhelmingly to remain part of the European Union, residents deserve to know that their elected representatives are taking the issues seriously.”

Cllr Marianna Ebel
Cllr Marianna Ebel

Councillor Marianna Ebel added: “As a Councillor who is also a non-British EU citizen, I know that European citizens residing in Brighton and Hove are alarmed about the most recent developments – particularly the attempts by the Prime Minister to undermine democratic debate and scrutiny. I am deeply concerned to learn that many EU citizens in Brighton and Hove who have met the requirements for ‘Settled Status’ are not being granted it due to flaws in the system.

“Non-British as well as British EU citizens in Brighton & Hove feel their views on Brexit are being ignored – and their right to participate in the process is being denied. This is understandable as their elected representatives cannot debate the topic if Parliament is suspended. It is vital for our communities and businesses that our council is able to continue debate, discussion and democratic oversight at this time.”

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