Amour (musical)
Encyclopedia
Amour is a musical
fantasy
with an English
book by Jeremy Sams
, music by Michel Legrand
, and lyrics by Didier Van Cauwelaert
, who wrote the original French
libretto
.
Adapted from the 1943 short story
Le Passe-Muraille by Marcel Aymé
, it is set in Paris
shortly after World War II
and centers on a shy, unassuming clerk who develops the ability to walk through walls, and who challenges himself to stick to his moral center and change others' lives, and his own, as a result.
composer
and jazz
musician
, but a newcomer to stage musicals at age 65, brought the musical (under its original title, Le Passe Muraille) to Paris where it won the Prix Molière for Best Musical.
The Broadway
production, directed by James Lapine
and presented without intermission, opened on October 20, 2002 at the Music Box Theatre
. The show closed after 17 performances and 31 previews. The cast included Malcolm Gets
and Melissa Errico
.
The musical received mostly negative reviews in America, although Errico, Gets and the score were praised. Ben Brantley
, in his review for The New York Times
, wrote: "Even charming is too weighty a word to describe the wispy appeal of Amour" The Talkin' Broadway reviewer, however, wrote: "Broadway's Music Box Theatre may have found its most ideal tenant in quite a while. The delightful little jewel box of a musical, Amour, ...deserves a lengthy stay there, where it may enchant audiences for a long time to come." Cary Wong in filmscoremonthly wrote: "The lyrics are mostly pedestrian and uninvolving, and they make the already stock characters even more one-dimensional."
A "reconceived production" was produced by Goodspeed Musicals
from August 11, 2005 through September 4.
Dusoleil's life, as well as Isabelle's and the other characters, takes a rich and, for a while, romantic turn. As Dusoleil admits to being Passepartout, he is put on trial in front of the prosecutor. Before the trial progresses, Isabelle reveals her husband's secret—that he was a Nazi collaborator. Dusoleil is pardoned and he spends one romantic night with Isabelle. When he takes pills that the doctor has given him, mistaking them for aspirin, he loses his magic power. He becomes stuck mid-leap in a wall, and his memory is carried on in story and song.
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
with an English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
book by Jeremy Sams
Jeremy Sams
Jeremy Sams is a British film director, writer, translator, orchestrator, musical director, film composer, and lyricist....
, music by Michel Legrand
Michel Legrand
Michel Jean Legrand is a French musical composer, arranger, conductor, and pianist...
, and lyrics by Didier Van Cauwelaert
Didier Van Cauwelaert
Didier Van Cauwelaert is a French author who was born in Nice. In 1994 his novel Un Aller simple won the Prix Goncourt.-Works:* Vingt ans et des poussières * Poisson d'amour * Les vacances du fantôme...
, who wrote the original French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
libretto
Libretto
A libretto is the text used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata, or musical. The term "libretto" is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as mass, requiem, and sacred cantata, or even the story line of a...
.
Adapted from the 1943 short story
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
Le Passe-Muraille by Marcel Aymé
Marcel Aymé
Marcel Aymé was a French novelist, children's writer, humour writer and also a screenwriter and theatre playwright.- Biography :...
, it is set in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
shortly after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and centers on a shy, unassuming clerk who develops the ability to walk through walls, and who challenges himself to stick to his moral center and change others' lives, and his own, as a result.
Production
In 1997, Legrand, a noted filmFilm
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
and jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
, but a newcomer to stage musicals at age 65, brought the musical (under its original title, Le Passe Muraille) to Paris where it won the Prix Molière for Best Musical.
The Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
production, directed by James Lapine
James Lapine
James Lapine is an American stage director and librettist. He has won the Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical three times, for Into the Woods, Falsettos, and Passion. He has frequently collaborated with Stephen Sondheim and William Finn.-Biography:Lapine was born in Mansfield, Ohio and graduated...
and presented without intermission, opened on October 20, 2002 at the Music Box Theatre
Music Box Theatre
The Music Box Theater is a Broadway theatre located at 239 West 45th Street in midtown-Manhattan.The once most aptly named theater on Broadway, the intimate Music Box was designed by architect C. Howard Crane and constructed by composer Irving Berlin and producer Sam H. Harris specifically to...
. The show closed after 17 performances and 31 previews. The cast included Malcolm Gets
Malcolm Gets
Hugh Malcolm Gerard Gets is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Richard in the American television sitcom Caroline in the City. Gets is also a dancer, singer, composer, classically trained pianist, vocal director, and choreographer. He has a small part in the film adaptation of...
and Melissa Errico
Melissa Errico
-Biography:Born in Manhattan, Errico moved to Manhasset on Long Island at an early age. Her parents, a sculptor and a physician/concert pianist, supported her early interest in ballet, and gymnastics, and Melissa competed nationally as a gymnast...
.
The musical received mostly negative reviews in America, although Errico, Gets and the score were praised. Ben Brantley
Ben Brantley
Benjamin D. "Ben" Brantley is an American journalist and the chief theater critic of The New York Times.-Life and career:...
, in his review for The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, wrote: "Even charming is too weighty a word to describe the wispy appeal of Amour" The Talkin' Broadway reviewer, however, wrote: "Broadway's Music Box Theatre may have found its most ideal tenant in quite a while. The delightful little jewel box of a musical, Amour, ...deserves a lengthy stay there, where it may enchant audiences for a long time to come." Cary Wong in filmscoremonthly wrote: "The lyrics are mostly pedestrian and uninvolving, and they make the already stock characters even more one-dimensional."
A "reconceived production" was produced by Goodspeed Musicals
Goodspeed Musicals
Goodspeed Musicals, a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and advancement of musical theater and the creation of new works, was formed in 1959 to restore the Goodspeed Opera House, located in East Haddam, Connecticut, to its original Victorian appearance. Each year, Goodspeed...
from August 11, 2005 through September 4.
Characters
- Dusoleil: a self-proclaimed "ordinary guy" who discovers he can walk through walls
- Isabelle: an unhappily married woman and the object of Dusoleil's affections
- Whore, Painter, Newsvendor: three street workers who support Dusoleil
- Prosecutor: Isabelle's husband, a man with more than a few skeletons in his closet
- Boss: Dusoleil's nasty boss
- Doctor Roucefort: Dusoleil's doctor, who gives him the eventual cure to his intangibility
- Madeleine, Claire, Charles, Bertrand: Dusoleil's co-workers. The women reveal feelings for Dusoleil when they discover he is the elusive "Monsieur Passepartout"
- Policemen: "henchmen" hired by the prosecutor to keep the people of Montmartre in check
- Monsieur le President: President of the tribunal that tries Dusoleil
- Advocate: Dusoleil's lawyer, who appears on behalf of Dusoleil on his very first day in court
Plot
In Paris after WWII, a shy, unassuming "invisible" civil servant, Dusoleil, lives alone and works in a dreary office under a tyrannical boss. His lazy co-workers are unhappy because Dusoleil is a hard worker who finishes his work early. To pass the time, he writes letters to his mother and daydreams about the beautiful Isabelle. Isabelle is kept locked away by her controlling husband, the prosecutor-general with an unsavory past. When Dusoleil miraculously gains the ability to walk through walls, he begins to steal from the rich and give to the poor. He also gains the self-confidence to woo Isabelle, who is intrigued by the news stories about Passepartout, a mysterious criminal who can walk through walls.Dusoleil's life, as well as Isabelle's and the other characters, takes a rich and, for a while, romantic turn. As Dusoleil admits to being Passepartout, he is put on trial in front of the prosecutor. Before the trial progresses, Isabelle reveals her husband's secret—that he was a Nazi collaborator. Dusoleil is pardoned and he spends one romantic night with Isabelle. When he takes pills that the doctor has given him, mistaking them for aspirin, he loses his magic power. He becomes stuck mid-leap in a wall, and his memory is carried on in story and song.
Song list
- Overture – Company
- Office Life – Dusoleil, Madeleine, Claire, Bertrand and Charles
- Going Home Alone – Dusoleil
- Other People's Stories – Isabelle and Dusoleil
- Street Vendors' Waltz – Whore, Painter, Newsvendor, Policemen, Prosecutor, Isabelle and Dusoleil
- Dusoleil Walks Through the Wall – Dusoleil
- The Doctor – Doctor and Dusoleil
- Ordinary Guy – Dusoleil
- Dusoleil's Revenge – Boss, Dusoleil, Madeleine, Claire, Bertrand and Charles
- Somebody – Isabelle
- Prosecutor's Song – Prosecutor
- Whore's Lament – Whore and Dusoleil
- Monsieur Passepartout – Newsvendor, Painter, Whore, Madeleine and Policemen
- Special Time of Day – Isabelle and Dusoleil
- Waiting – Dusoleil
- Latest News – Newsvendor, Whore and Painter
- Dusoleil in Jail – Dusoleil, Madeleine and Claire
- Painter's Song – Painter
- Isabelle on Her Balcony – Isabelle, Dusoleil and Prosecutor
- Transformation – Company
- The Advocate's Plea – Advocate
- The Trial – Monsieur le President, Madeleine, Whore, Painter, Prosecutor, Dusoleil and Isabelle
- Duet for Dusoleil and Isabelle – Dusoleil and Isabelle
- Whistling Ballet – Dusoleil, Painter, Whore, Newsvendor, Madeleine and Policemen
- Amour – Isabelle and Dusoleil
- Dusoleil Meets the Press – Dusoleil, Newsvendor, Doctor and Company
- Serenade – Dusoleil, Isabelle and Company
Awards and nominations
Original Broadway production| Year | Award Ceremony | Category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Drama Desk Award Drama Desk Award The Drama Desk Awards, which are given annually in a number of categories, are the only major New York theater honors for which productions on Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway compete against each other in the same category... |
Outstanding Musical Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Musical The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Musical was first awarded at the 1974-1975 Drama Desk Awards and has been awarded every year since. Before the 21st Drama Desk Awards, acting awards were given without making distinctions between roles in straight dramas as opposed to musicals, nor were there... |
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| Outstanding Book of a Musical Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Book of a Musical The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Book of a Musical is presented by the Drama Desk, a committee which comprises New York City theatre critics, writers, and editors... |
Jeremy Sams Jeremy Sams Jeremy Sams is a British film director, writer, translator, orchestrator, musical director, film composer, and lyricist.... |
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| Outstanding Actor in a Musical Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical was first awarded at the 1974-1975 Drama Desk Awards and has been awarded every year since... |
Malcolm Gets Malcolm Gets Hugh Malcolm Gerard Gets is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Richard in the American television sitcom Caroline in the City. Gets is also a dancer, singer, composer, classically trained pianist, vocal director, and choreographer. He has a small part in the film adaptation of... |
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| Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical was first awarded at the 1974-1975 Drama Desk Awards and has been awarded every year since... |
Christopher Fitzgerald Christopher Fitzgerald Christopher Fitzgerald is an American transmedia artist working primarily in painting, digital video and web-based systems. Born in 1977, he graduated from Western Washington University in 1999. After his college education, Fitzgerald spent the summer in Italy and France studying art and returned... |
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| Outstanding Director of a Musical Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Director of a Musical The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Director of a Musical was first awarded at the 1974–1975 Drama Desk Awards and has been awarded every year since... |
James Lapine James Lapine James Lapine is an American stage director and librettist. He has won the Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical three times, for Into the Woods, Falsettos, and Passion. He has frequently collaborated with Stephen Sondheim and William Finn.-Biography:Lapine was born in Mansfield, Ohio and graduated... |
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| Outstanding Orchestrations Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Orchestrations The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Orchestrations is presented by the Drama Desk, a committee of New York City theatre critics, writers, and editors... |
Michel Legrand Michel Legrand Michel Jean Legrand is a French musical composer, arranger, conductor, and pianist... |
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| Outstanding Lyrics Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lyrics The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lyrics is an annual award presented by the Drama Desk, a committee of New York City theatre critics, writers, and editors... |
Didier Van Cauwelaert Didier Van Cauwelaert Didier Van Cauwelaert is a French author who was born in Nice. In 1994 his novel Un Aller simple won the Prix Goncourt.-Works:* Vingt ans et des poussières * Poisson d'amour * Les vacances du fantôme... |
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| Outstanding Music Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Music The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Music is an annual award presented by the Drama Desk, a committee comprising New York City theatre critics, writers, and editors... |
Michel Legrand Michel Legrand Michel Jean Legrand is a French musical composer, arranger, conductor, and pianist... |
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| Outstanding Set Design Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Set Design The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Set Design is presented by the Drama Desk, a committee composed of New York City theatre critics, writers, and editors... |
Scott Pask Scott Pask Scott Pask is an American scenic designer. He has worked primarily on stage productions in the United States, on Broadway and Off-Broadway, and in regional theatre, as well as in the United Kingdom... |
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| Tony Award Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway... |
Best Musical Tony Award for Best Musical This is a list of winners and nominations for the Tony Award for Best Musical, first awarded in 1949. This award is presented to the producers of the musical.-1940s:* 1949: Kiss Me, Kate – Music and lyrics by Cole Porter, book by Samuel and Bella Spewack... |
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| Best Book of a Musical Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical The Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical is awarded to librettists of the spoken, non-sung dialogue, and storyline of a musical play. Eligibility is restricted to works with original narrative framework; plotless revues and revivals are ineligible... |
Jeremy Sams Jeremy Sams Jeremy Sams is a British film director, writer, translator, orchestrator, musical director, film composer, and lyricist.... |
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| Best Original Score Tony Award for Best Original Score The Tony Award for Best Original Score is the Tony Award given to the composers and lyricists of the best original score written for a musical in that year. The score consists of music and lyrics... |
Michel Legrand Michel Legrand Michel Jean Legrand is a French musical composer, arranger, conductor, and pianist... and Didier Van Cauwelaert Didier Van Cauwelaert Didier Van Cauwelaert is a French author who was born in Nice. In 1994 his novel Un Aller simple won the Prix Goncourt.-Works:* Vingt ans et des poussières * Poisson d'amour * Les vacances du fantôme... |
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| Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical The Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical is awarded to the actor who was voted as the best actor in a musical play, whether a new production or a revival... |
Malcolm Gets Malcolm Gets Hugh Malcolm Gerard Gets is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Richard in the American television sitcom Caroline in the City. Gets is also a dancer, singer, composer, classically trained pianist, vocal director, and choreographer. He has a small part in the film adaptation of... |
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| Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical | Melissa Errico Melissa Errico -Biography:Born in Manhattan, Errico moved to Manhasset on Long Island at an early age. Her parents, a sculptor and a physician/concert pianist, supported her early interest in ballet, and gymnastics, and Melissa competed nationally as a gymnast... |
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