Samantha Barks vs. Phillipa Soo as Amélie
(I decided to make a series of comparisons since making one long article would actually be longer than the entire dictionary.)
CAUTION: HIGHLY OPINIONATED
Vocally, these two are practically twins. What is to be written here is definitely not a petty fight of who sang it better, but simply a comparison of portrayals. This is more of a comparison between two different Amélies, rather than two different actresses.
Pippa played a kind of an outgoing, charmingly awkward AmĂ©lie. Lotâs of quick, jerky movements; quick, jerky annunciation of lines. I definitely did not get the feeling of shyness, gentleness, kindness from her portrayal. Just silliness, goofiness, ridiculousness.... It struck me as very shallow. The depth -- the three dimensions that I loved about my favorite character were all just wiped away. It was as if this AmĂ©lie had already acknowledged that her imagination was only an imagination and then continued to play pretend anyway. I sensed no fear, no desperation, no clinging to thin air. No inner turmoil. She was instead disfigured into a flat cartoon character. I canât say I wasnât disappointed.
Samâs AmĂ©lie⊠she was everything Pippaâs wasnât. I felt everything. I saw stars in her eyes when when she sang because pieces of her heart were tied into the lyrics. I felt all of her hope and all of her fear. That sounds heavy, yes, but Samâs AmĂ©lie had a way of balancing even that. Yes, the show is comedic. Yes, AmĂ©lie is supposed to be goofy and funny. But that goofiness is a product of her shyness. That shyness is a product of fear. The audience is supposed to feel the depth. Pippaâs AmĂ©lie ran and hid because she wanted to be chased. Samâs AmĂ©lie ran and hid because she didnât know where else to go. It was in a genuine panic that she did what she did. Her lack of human connection forced her to be an internalized character. She didnât have to outwardly make physical and vocal gestures to show the audience what she is experiencing inside. Looking at her, I felt it. She was very real to me. She captured the depth.
This show really resonated with me. It might be going to Broadway with a cartoon lead, but⊠I swear there was so much more to her, once. Take my word for it.
