Bringing Back ‘Amélie,’ Now onstage in Rhinebeck
The adorable Amélie has transitioned from the big screen (2001) to a small-stage theater production in the Hudson Valley. Photo courtesy RTS

Bringing Back ‘Amélie,’ Now onstage in Rhinebeck

In 2001, a cult classic was born in the film “Amélie,” written by Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Guillaume Laurant. The story follows a vibrant young Parisian woman who approaches the world around her at a distance, strangely hesitant about forging close human connections.

But on the night that Princess Diana of Wales is killed, Amélie discovers a box hidden in her apartment filled with a child’s memories from long ago. She becomes determined to return the box to its original owner. This begins a long line of anonymous good deeds done for a host of eccentric characters, and these acts of kindness inadvertently lead Amélie to a possible love interest.

Nino Quincampoix collects photo strips left behind in photo booths. He is both the pursued and the pursuer when Amélie accidentally finds the album where he collects the strips, and the two must decide the lengths they will go to meet each other, or keep their distance.

This romantic comedy becomes a musical adventure in the hands of composer Daniel Messé, lyricist Nathan Tysen and writer Craig Lucas. The show opened on Broadway in 2017 and was reworked for a 2019 West End production. It was nominated for Best New Musical, Best Original Score, and Best Actress in a Musical at the 2020 Laurence Olivier Awards.

Rhinebeck Theatre Society is staging a new production of the show on the intimate stage at The CENTER for Performing Arts at Rhinebeck.

In a cast of 16 performers, Kacie Boice stars in the title role and Frank McGinnis is Nino is Frank McGinnis. ”

“Amélie” opened June 17 and runs  for three weekends (until July 3). Friday and Saturday performances are at 8 p.m.; Sunday performances are at 3 p.m. All tickets are $25. More information is available at www.centerforperformingarts.org, or call 845-876-3080.

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