McLean HS Stages 'Stunning' Production Of French Musical: Cappies

By Stephen Blackadar
Justice High School, Cappies Review

MCLEAN, VA —Serving as an enthralling and illustrative escape to a carefully crafted tale that uncovers the connection between good deeds and self-worth, "Amelie" by McLean High School features a simple yet grand rendition of the young and imaginative French girl that has lofty dreams of improving life for people wherever she goes. The memorable production consistently depicted elements of wonder and excitement throughout the show to present the very best in both acting and technical theatre.

The musical "Amelie" is based on a French movie of the same name that premiered in 2001, directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet and written by Juenet and Guillaume Laurant. The film was an international success and inspired the musical "Amelie" first performed in 2015, with a script by Craig Lucas, music by Daniel Messé, and lyrics by Mess and Nathan Tyson. The show celebrated additional success and was performed on Broadway for around a month and a half in 2017. It has since remained a celebrated production that comedically, yet thoughtfully, considers the identity and values of the title character.

With a stunning performance throughout the show, Audrey Link (Amelie Poulain) delivered impressive vocals and an empathetic presence onstage, one that was especially impressive given the character's large amount of stage time. Alex Valencic (Nino Quincampoix) retained an inquisitive attitude throughout, beautifully displaying devotion to "Amelie" by the end of the show. Hope Titus (Blue Bottle Fly) did a wonderful job at portraying symbolism through well-orchestrated dances, cleverly leaving room for interpretation for the exact meaning of the dancer. Aashna Kapur (Suzanne) did a great job interacting with the cafe goers and delivering lines in an assertive manner, while Emma Weinshall (Lucien) offered innocent moments of comedy with the character's interest in fruits. Overall, the entire ensemble remained in character while on stage, even when in the background, which kept the show focused and seamless.

The choreography in this show (Sicilia Oliver, Sophia Del Cotto) was very impressive, with performers remaining synchronized and expressive in numerous numbers, regardless of the complexity of the dances. The lighting design of this show (Alex Elders, Drew Hall, Ellie Swift) added to its overall atmosphere through creative incorporations of on-stage lighting, colors on specific portions of the stage, and swift illuminations and blackouts in significant moments of the show. The props team (Aubrey Astore, Margaret Hughes, Liv Rosenfeld, Emerson Thiebert) effectively featured several props that supported each scene of the show, with a doll of Am�lie as a child and the creation of 50 Lite-Brite signs specifically being impressive additions that certainly required a great deal of time and effort.

The stage crew (Nico Colder, Sophie Larson, Larkin Fury, Jamie DiMartino) did much prep work to facilitate set transitions and to enable certain effects, such as fog that originated from the opening of an old box. The stage management team (Allie Vargo, Katherine Dailey) excelled at managing actors' many cues and keeping the show moving. The sound (Kiran Rollins, Jay Hicks, Liam Muntean) was seamlessly executed and effects were well orchestrated. Finally, the costume designers (Leila Peleg, Clare Mukerjee, Emerson Thiebert, Hannah Howard) offered clear distinction between characters, maintained the Parisian setting in their choices, and made one particular scene especially memorable with hand-made costumes for the vocalists in the song "Goodbye, Amelie."

The greatest strength in this show was its graceful consistency in expressing the development of the characters. Each component of the show was a remarkable showcase of hard work, but everything became all the more impressive as additional elements came together, giving Theatre McLean's production a unique continuity that led to the show's immense success altogether.