Fascinating Foreign Women

My Favorite Flop

It's time to grab a "window seat" and be on your best "model behavior" as hosts Bobby and Kristina discuss 2017's Amélie and 2010's Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown on episode fourteen of My Favorite Flop.

ABOUT AMÉLIE

Based on the 2001 French film of the same name, Amélie tells the story of a shy waitress who decides to change the lives of those around her for the better while struggling with her own isolation. The musical features music by Daniel Messé, lyrics by Messé and Nathan Tysen, and a book by Craig Lucas.

Following out-of-town tryouts at Berkeley Repertory and The Ahmanson, the musical finally opened to mixed reviews on Broadway on April 3, 2017. Despite praise for its cast and design elements, many critics found issue with the score, and the show struggled at the box office. When the show failed to receive any Tony nominations in an extremely competitive season, the show closed on May 21, 2017, after 27 previews and 56 regular performances.

A substantially transformed production, with new orchestrations, an expanded repertoire of songs, and new staging in the actor/muso style, opened on the West End in December 2019, at the Other Palace. Critics praised its improvements on the Broadway version, with The Guardian describing it as "a triumph of adaptation" "high on imagination", while The Daily Telegraph lauded the "wonderful, wistful evening" it made. It was nominated for three awards at the 2020 Laurence Olivier Awards: Best New Musical, Best Original Score or New Orchestrations, and Best Actress in a Musical.

Original Broadway Cast

• Phillipa Soo as Amélie
• Adam Chanler-Berat as Nino
• Tony Sheldon as Dufayel/Collignon
• David Andino as Blind Beggar/Garden Gnome/Anchorperson
• Randy Blair as Hipolito/Rock Star/Belgian Tourist
• Heath Calvert as Lucien/Adrien Wells/Mysterious Man
• Alison Cimmet as Amandine/Philomene
• Savvy Crawford as Young Amélie
• Manoel Felciano as Raphael/Bretodeau
• Harriett D. Foy as Suzanne
• Alyse Alan Louis as Georgette/Sylvie/Collignon's Mother
• Maria-Christina Oliveras as Gina
• Paul Whitty as Joseph/Fluffy/Collignon's Father

ABOUT WOMEN ON THE VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN

Based on the Pedro Almodóvar film of the same name, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown tells the tale of a group of women in late 20th-century Madrid whose relationships with men lead to a tumultuous 48 hours of love, confusion, and passion. The musical features music and lyrics by David Yazbek and a book by Jeffrey Lane.

Following a series of workshops in 2009 featuring Salma Hayek, Jessica Biel, Matthew Morrison and Paulo Szot, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown opened on Broadway at the Belasco Theatre on November 4, 2010. The production was a limited engagement that was scheduled to end on January 23, 2011, but due to low grosses and ticket sales, closed early on January 2, 2011. At the time of closing, the show had played 30 previews and 69 regular performances.

A West End production, also directed by Bartlett Sher and starring Tamsin Greig, Jérôme Pradon, Haydn Gwynne, Anna Skellern, and Willemijn Verkaik opened at the Playhouse Theatre on January 12, 2015 for a 20-week run, and subsequently extended its run, but it was ultimately announced that the production would close on May 23, 2015. Greig and Gwynne were nominated for Best Actress in a Musical and Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical respectively at the 2015 Laurence Olivier Awards.

Original Broadway Cast

• Sherie Rene Scott as Pepa
• Patti LuPone as Lucia
• Brian Stokes Mitchell as Ivan
• Julio Agustin as Ambite
• De'Adre Aziza as Paulina
• Laura Benanti as Candela
• Danny Burstein as Taxi Driver
• Alma Cuervo as Woman in Cinema/Ivan's Concierge/Magistrate 2
• Justin Guarini as Carlos
• Murphy Guyer as Hector/TV Husband/Magistrate/Chief Inspector
• Nina Lafarga as Woman at Train/Ana
• Nikka Graff Lanzarone as Marisa
• Yanira Marin as Ensemble
• Sean McCourt as Man in Cinema/Doctor/Detective
• Vivian Nixon as Ensemble
• Mary Beth Peil as Pepa's Concierge/TV and Radio Announcer
• Luis Salgado as Malik
• Jennifer Sánchez as Cristina
• Phillip Spaeth as Ensemble
• Matthew Steffens as Ensemble
• Charlie Sutton as Man at Train/Telephone Repairman