Amélie The Musical, based on the 2017 Broadway show and 2001 French film, is coming to The El Camino Campus Theatre in spring 2023, with opening night scheduled for March 10.
Adjunct theater faculty member Daniel Nakawatase will direct the play, along with dance professor Elizabeth Adamis, taking care of choreography and music direction by applied music instructor Anthony Moreno.
Based on the motion picture by Jean-Pierre Jeunet & Guillaume Laurant, the romantic comedy revolves around the central character Amélie Poulain.
The shy french waitress one day decides to embark on a mission to better the lives of those around her through random acts of kindness.
Her whimsical journey ultimately leads her to equally shy Nino Quincampoix, and Amélie must decide if she is ready to receive kindness and find love.
Nakawatase said the broadway adaptation, which added the musical numbers, suffered from feeling “distinctly American,” so changes will be made to reinstate some of the French inspiration initially found in the screen version.
Lead roles Amélie and Nino are double cast for the show, with two different pairs of student actors portraying the two characters on interchanging show dates.
Actors Natalie Gath and Kayla Stefansson share the role of Amélie, while Nate Smith and Ryan Kann will portray Nino.
Performances will take place on the following dates and times:
- Friday, March 10 at 8 p.m.
- Saturday, March 11 at 8 p.m.
- Sunday, March 12 at 3 p.m.
- Friday, March 17 at 8 p.m.
- Saturday, March 18, at 8 p.m.
- Sunday, March 19 at 3 p.m.
- Friday, March 24 at 8 p.m.
- Saturday, March 25 at 8 p.m.
- Sunday, March 26 at 3 p.m.
Tickets will be sold for $15 for El Camino College students with valid IDs and $25 for general audiences and available for purchase through the Center for the Arts website or by visiting the El Camino College Ticket Office next to Marsee Auditorium.
