Thoroughly Modern Millie (musical)

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Thoroughly Modern Millie
Original Broadway Windowcard
Music Jeanine Tesori
Lyrics Dick Scanlan
Book Richard Morris
Dick Scanlan
Based upon 1967 film Thoroughly Modern Millie
Productions 2002 Broadway
2003 US tour
2003 West End
2005 UK tour
Awards Tony Award for Best Musical
Drama Desk Outstanding Musical
This article is about the stage musical. For information about the 1967 musical film starring Julie Andrews, see Thoroughly Modern Millie.

Thoroughly Modern Millie is a Tony Award-winning[1] musical with music by Jeanine Tesori, lyrics by Dick Scanlan, and a book by Richard Morris and Scanlan.[2] Based on the 1967 film of the same name,[3] Thoroughly Modern Millie tells the story of a small-town girl, Millie Dillmount, who comes to New York City to marry for money instead of love – a thoroughly modern aim in 1922, when women were just entering the workforce. Millie soon begins to take to delight in the flapper lifestyle, but problems arise when she checks into a hotel owned by the leader of a white slavery ring in China.[4]

The original production of the comic pastiche, directed by Michael Mayer, underwent several workshops in New York[5] and performances at the La Jolla Playhouse in San Diego, California,[6] before ultimately opening on Broadway on April 15, 2002.[2] The production subsequently won six 2002 Tony Awards, including Best Musical.[1] Due to the success of the original Broadway production, both a United States tour[7] and a West End production[8] launched in 2003, followed by a United Kingdom tour in 2005.[9] The musical has become a very popular choice for high school productions.[10]

Contents

[edit] Synopsis

Millie Dillmount escapes to New York City from Salina, Kansas determined to marry her wealthy boss - whoever he may be. Bobbing her hair and assuming the modern look of a "flapper," she takes a room at the Hotel Priscilla for Women and gets a job as a stenographer at the Sincere Trust Insurance Company. In short time, she finds herself involved with Jimmy Smith, a poor but fun-loving paper-clip salesman; Miss Dorothy Brown, a gentle aspiring actress who never seems to have spare change; several other stagestruck young women staying at the hotel; and Muzzy van Hossmere, a madcap Manhattan cabaret singer and heiress with a zest for the high life and a glamorous penthouse.

Millie's pompous but wealthy boss, whom she intends to marry, is Trevor Graydon III. But trouble comes in several respects. First, Millie is falling for Jimmy, but she fears that Jimmy is having a fling with Millie's new friend, Miss Dorothy. In addition, the hotel proprietress, the mysterious and sinister Mrs. Meers (whose catch line is, "So sad to be all alone in the world"), employs two Chinese henchmen, Ching Ho and Bun Foo (who don't speak English). They must help Mrs. Meers to kidnap any orphaned women checking into her hotel as part of her dealings in white slavery, so that they can bring their elderly mother to America. One of the potential kidnap victims is Miss Dorothy. Millie tries to seduce Mr. Graydon, until she finds out that Dorothy and Mr. Graydon are in love. Ching Ho also falls in love with Miss Dorothy.

Jimmy finally declares his feelings for Millie. Millie, Jimmy, and Mr. Graydon realize what Mrs. Meers is up to. They persuade Muzzy to pose as a new orphan in town. Mrs. Meers takes the bait and is exposed as the mastermind of the slavery ring. But Ching Ho has already rescued Miss Dorothy and won her heart. Jimmy proposes to Millie, and, poor as he is, she accepts, "because if it's marriage I've got in mind, love has everything to do with it." Jimmy turns out to be Herbert J. Van Hossmere III, Muzzy's stepson, and one of the most eligible bachelors in the world. Miss Dorothy turns out to be his sister, an heiress, and she ends up not with Trevor Graydon, but with Ching Ho.

[edit] Principal roles

Characters Voice Type Description
Millie Dillmount mezzo-soprano A young, "modern" woman from Kansas.
Jimmy Smith tenor An attractive young paperclip salesman.
Trevor Graydon bass-baritone Sincere Trust Insurance Co. head boss.
Miss Dorothy Brown soprano A new actress in town, Millie's best friend.
Mrs. Meers alto Evil owner of the Hotel Priscilla.
Ching Ho tenor Chinese henchman, falls in love with Miss Dorothy.
Bun Foo tenor Chinese henchman, focused more on the task at hand.
Muzzy van Hossmere mezzo / alto Singer and bon vivant, an old acquaintance of Jimmy.
Miss Flannery belter Head stenographer at Sincere Trust.

[edit] Song list

Songs are by Tesori and Scanlan, unless otherwise noted.

Act I
  • Not for the Life of Me - Millie
  • Thoroughly Modern Millie - Millie and Ensemble (Lyrics by Sammy Cahn, Music by Jimmy Van Heusen)
  • Not for the Life of Me - The Hotel Girls (Reprise)
  • How the Other Half Lives - Millie and Miss Dorothy
  • Not for the Life of Me - Bun Foo and Ching Ho (Reprise)
  • The Speed Test - Trevor Graydon, Millie, Stenographers, Office Singers (music from the patter song "My Eyes Are Fully Open" from Gilbert and Sullivan's Ruddigore)
  • They Don't Know - Mrs. Meers
  • The Nuttycracker Suite (derived from music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky)
  • What Do I Need with Love? - Jimmy
  • Only in New York - Muzzy
  • Jimmy - Millie (Lyrics by Jay Thompson and Scanlan, Music by Thompson and Tesori)
Act II
  • Forget About the Boy - Millie, Miss Flannery, Office Singers, Stenographers
  • I'm Falling in Love with Someone - Trevor Graydon and Miss Dorothy (Lyrics by Rida Johnson Young, Music by Victor Herbert)
  • I Turned the Corner - Millie, Jimmy, Miss Dorothy, Trevor Graydon
  • Muqin - Mrs. Meers, Bun Foo, Ching Ho (Lyrics by Sam M. Lewis, Joe Young, Walter Donaldson and Scanlan, Music by Lewis, Young, and Donaldson)
  • Long as I'm Here with You - Muzzy and Muzzy's Boys
  • Gimme Gimme - Millie
  • Thoroughly Modern Millie - Company (Reprise)

An original Broadway cast recording is available on the RCA Victor label.

[edit] Productions

In the early 2000s, the film was adapted for the stage at the La Jolla Playhouse at University of California, San Diego. Critical reaction was favorable enough to warrant a move to Broadway. Prior to opening, Sutton Foster was plucked from the chorus to assume the title role, a move that propelled her to stardom.

At the Marquis Theatre, 2003
At the Marquis Theatre, 2003

After thirty-two previews, the production, directed by Michael Mayer and choreographed by Rob Ashford, opened on April 18, 2002 at the Marquis Theatre, where it ran for 903 performances. The original cast included Sutton Foster as Millie, Marc Kudisch as Trevor, Angela Christian as Dorothy, Gavin Creel as Jimmy, Harriet Harris as Mrs. Meers, Sheryl Lee Ralph as Muzzy Van Hossmere, Ken Leung as Ching Ho, and Francis Jue as Bun Foo.

Replacements later in the run included Susan Egan as Millie, Delta Burke and Dixie Carter as Mrs. Meers, and Christian Borle as Jimmy. At the April 2, 2003 performance, Meredith Vieira appeared in three minor roles for a segment later broadcast on her daytime talk show The View.

In 2003, the original creative team reunited to stage the show in London's West End Shaftesbury Theatre, a venue notorious for consistently housing flops. It began previews on October 11 and opened on October 21. Starring in the title role was well-known TV personality Amanda Holden, with Maureen Lipman as Mrs. Meers and Sheila Ferguson as Muzzy Van Hossmere. Mrs. Meers subsequently was played by Anita Dobson, and when Holden was forced to take time off due to illness, her understudy Donna Steele took over the role to great acclaim. Despite positive reviews and booking periods extended to January 2005, Thoroughly Modern Millie failed to catch the UK public's attention and closed prematurely on June 26, 2004.

A UK tour beginning in March 2005 fared much better and successfully toured many of the country's major theatres until November, when it closed as planned in Nottingham. The tour starred Steele as Millie, Lesley Joseph as Mrs. Meers, and Grace Kennedy as Muzzy Van Hossmere.

The school edition of "Thoroughly Modern Millie" was premiered at the International Thespian Festival on June 26th, 2007. It was presented by the International Thespian Cast. The production starred Elizabeth Elliott as Millie, David King as Jimmy, and Rachel Buethe as Mrs. Meers. The creators of the show also appeared at the festival to help introduce the show.

The Canadian premiere of the show was undertaken by Light Fantastic Productions[1] in Courtenay, British Columbia, in October 2007. It was directed by Brian Kruse.

[edit] Awards and nominations

[edit] See also

[edit] Notes and references

  1. ^ a b The American Theatre Wing's Tony Awards - Official Site by IBM. IBM Corp., Tony Awards Productions. Retrieved on 2007-06-18.
  2. ^ a b Internet Broadway Database: Thoroughly Modern Millie. The League of American Theatres and Producers. Retrieved on 2007-06-18.
  3. ^ Lefkowitz, David (April 17, 1998). Report: Bridge's Michael Mayer To Modernize Millie For B'way. Playbill, Inc. Retrieved on 2007-06-21.
  4. ^ The Guide to Musical Theatre: Thoroughly Modern Millie. David Lewis. Retrieved on 2007-06-21.
  5. ^ Jones, Kenneth and Christine Ehren (October 14, 1999). Modern Millie Will Sing in NYC Workshop Reading Oct. 15. Playbill, Inc. Retrieved on 2007-06-21.
  6. ^ Jones, Kenneth and Robert Simonson (October 8, 2000). Millie Wows La Jolla Audience in Makeshift Concert Reading Oct. 6. Playbill, Inc. Retrieved on 2007-06-21.
  7. ^ Jones, Kenneth (July 15, 2003). Beat the Drums, Here Comes Millie on Tour, Starting July 15. Playbill, Inc. Retrieved on 2007-06-21.
  8. ^ Simonson, Robert (September 24, 2003). Full Cast of London Millie Announced; Begins Oct. 11. Playbill, Inc. Retrieved on 2007-06-21.
  9. ^ Jones, Kenneth (June 20, 2004). Thoroughly Modern Millie Ends Broadway Run; National Tour Continues and U.K. Tour Expected. Playbill, Inc. Retrieved on 2007-06-21.
  10. ^ TIME magazine reported in its May 26, 2008 issue, p. 51, that this musical ranked as the third most frequently produced musical by U.S. high schools in 2007.

[edit] External links


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Tony Award for Best Musical

The Producers (2001) · Thoroughly Modern Millie (2002) · Hairspray (2003) · Avenue Q (2004) · Monty Python's Spamalot (2005) · Jersey Boys (2006) · Spring Awakening (2007)
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