Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10

Cast: Audrey Brisson, Sophie Crawford, Faoileann Cunningham, Rachel Dawson, Oliver Grant, Nuwan Hugh Perera, Chris Jared, Charley Magalit, Caolan McCarthy, Samuel Morgan-Grahame, Emma Jane Morton, Kate Robson-Stuart, Josh Sneesby, Jez Unwin, Johnson Willis.

To live in a world which is delightful is perhaps everybody’s secret dream, one where kindness truly is its own reward and not a payback from the mealy mouthed who see it as recompense for their actions and who take advantage of the compassionate and gentle for their own amusement.

Amelie is a moment on stage where the delightful is one of huge consideration, where the heroine is everything an audience can hope for, and that her mission in life, to see people happy, to see them reconciled with the people that they should be, is one that is a lesson we should all take to heart.

What stands in our way of progress in such an outlook and responsibility of caring is our innate programming to be selfish, even when we are being kind, we cannot but help in the modern world to let every-one know about, there is no more surreptitious and shyly secretive approach to make someone feel good about their life, we now have to take credit for giving someone hope.

Amelie: The Musical gives hope and as spellbinding songs such as The Sound Of Going Around In Circles, Spyglass, How To Tell Time, The Hand of Destiny, There’s No Place Like Gnome, Times Are Hard For Dreamers and The Late Nino Quincampoix leap into action and give the engaging story and mesmerising routines the element of unadulterated delight that is so badly needed in a time when to be cynical is lauded as righteous and moral.

To be fanciful is an honour, to have the imagination to turn what is heavily regarded as one of the great masterpieces of modern French cinema in to a stirring and bountiful musical is to have the world at your feet, and with the terrific Audrey Brisson take the lead role and give as much credence, as much daring and enjoyment, as Audrey Tautou raised in the 2001 film, then it is with little wonder that the Playhouse audience were left understandably as close to revelling in perfection as can be ever hoped for.

Undeniably excellent, beautifully fanciful and raised in the dream of honest honourability; Amelie:The Musical is fantastic.

Ian D. Hall