The beloved French film Amélie (2001) has been turned into a musical which will be having its world premiere in September at Berkeley Rep. The book is by acclaimed playwright Craig Lucas (Prelude to a Kiss, The Light In the Piazza) with music by Daniel Messé, and the production is directed by Pam MacKinnon, who talks in the brief video interview above about her approach to adapting the story for the stage. "There's a little bit of puppetry [in the production]," MacKinnon explains, "And we're not looking for slick. We're looking for 'best parent on the block Halloween costume' handmade, because it's springing from this young woman's imagination."

Amélie begins previews tomorrow, August 28, but opening night is not for two weeks, on September 11. SFist will have a review for you then, but if you can't wait, you can get tickets now right here. (Note that ticket buyers who are under the age of 30 get half off, which means tickets start at $17.50 for previews, but you will have to show proof of age at the box office.)