Kokandy Productions’ Amelie is filled with charm, light and look towards love

Aurora Penepacker, Melanie Vitaterna, Lucas Burr and Quinn Rigg in Kokandy Productions’ Chicago premiere of Amélie. Photo by Michael Brosilow.

There is an allure to Amelie, the character, the film, and now, the staged musical adaptation. The pull to revisit Montmartre and the crew of curiously connected strangers is all due to a special charm that fires up the second you hear those opening notes of the accordion. Amelie showcases that even in bustling Paris there is a far reaching net of connection but you do indeed have to open your door and say bonjour. Amelie is a true testament that a vibrant life is waiting outside of just our imaginations. 

At the heart of the tale of Amelie is not only her ever present desire for connection but that shared desire across her beloved city of Paris. Each character has something holding them back from their true wishes, from what they secretly want the most. Fear of rejection, fear of letting go, fear of the leap that it takes to jump off the ledge into the unknown is the very thing that keeps them all inside their safe frames. 

In Kokandy Productions Chicago Premiere of Amelie, the cast is filled with triple threats who act, sing and play the accompanying music to their tunes over the course of the over two hour production. The title character, played by Aurora Penepacker, is filled with the right amount of whimsy and naiveté. Her facial expressions alone could tell this fantastical story that begins with the (not so) simple act of kindness of reuniting a found collection of treasures with its rightful owner. The enchanting feeling of placing the box in the hands it belongs in propels Amelie into a world she has been avoiding, a world filled with connection within the incredible ensemble of characters played by Todd Aulwurm, Lucas Burr, Rachel Carreras, Sonia Goldberg, Sam Hook, Mizha Lee Overn, Jon Patrick Penick, Quinn Rigg, Samantha Ringor and Kelan M. Smith. In the end, Amelie’s good deeds release her from the shadow of the great divide she has previously lived in and the community she has built are the very ones that lead her to love with the curious and innocently persistent, Nino Quincampoix played by Joe Giovannetti. 

Part of the magnetism of Amelie is the setting and despite being told primarily in English, under the direction of Artistic Director Derek Van Barham, the spirit of France is boldly present in not only the language, accents, but in the joie de vivre, the culture, the mannerisms and idiosyncrasies. As someone who personally traveled to France and relived my favorite Amelie moments of tossing coins in the canal and climbing Sacre Coeur, the joy of setting is not lost within the walls of a Chicago theatre. 

The production will leave you leaning full tilt into the light and opening your arms as you exit the theatre ready to embrace goodness awaiting you if you just let it in. Amelie is on stage at The Chopin Theatre in the Downstairs Studio (1543 W. Division Street) until Sept. 28. For tickets or more information, visit kokandyproductions.com.