Theater Online - New York Theater Reviews

The irrepressible Millie Dillmount is back in town, and -- to judge by the enthusiastic opening-night audience at The Gallery Players -- the people of New York have been waiting for her. After all, her story speaks to anyone who came to the city to pursue a better life. Millie's bold plan to escape from her humdrum hometown existence is to marry her boss – just as soon as she has found one. Life seldom goes as planned, and before long Millie must choose between her ideal future and the appealing but penniless rogue who loves her. Meanwhile, the hotel manager, Mrs. Meers, schemes to sell Millie's wide-eyed friend Miss Dorothy into white slavery overseas.

The stage version of Thoroughly Modern Millie, adapted by Dick Scanlon from Richard Morris's campy 1967 film, retains the charm of the original. While a few familiar numbers from the film's score remain, the bulk of the music and lyrics were written by Jeanine Tesori and Scanlon for the stage version. It's easy to see why the winning, traditional Millie won the 2002 Tony Award for Best Musical in a field which included the unorthodox Urinetown.

The Gallery Players have assembled a strong cast, from the character parts down to the chorus. They sound great and -- despite some opening-night unevenness -- dance well, too. Particularly outstanding are Alison Luff in the title role and Andy Planck as Millie's stuffed-shirt boss, Trevor Graydon. The charismatic Luff creates a Millie who is as appealing as she is misguided; this Millie, one feels, truly grew up broke, rendering Millie's materialistic attempts to marry up more poignant. In contrast to the loose-limbed leading lady, Planck seems to be a perfect stiff, making his transformation into an ardent suitor all the more surprising. This Graydon really is Tom Sawyer at twenty. Debra Thais Evans (Muzzy Van Hossmere) has a voice that could bring down the house, and she does. Unfortunately, David Rossetti as Millie's true love, Jimmy Smith, fails to match the wattage of his castmates.

Director Neal J. Freeman has scaled Millie down effectively, creating a thoroughly enjoyable production. However, he falls into the habit of sending his actors downstage center to sing, missing opportunities to exploit Ann Bartek's two-level set to create more dynamic stage pictures. Fortunately, Millie is full of dance numbers, and Katherine Pettit's choreography keeps the show moving. The eight-member band produces a full, rich sound without overwhelming the performers' voices; Rose Imperato, rapidly switching between clarinet and saxophone, is noteworthy.

The design of this Millie is drastically scaled down from the spectacle of the Broadway production. Bartek's two-story peach-and-orange set, complete with a New York skyline, houses the band in full view above the stage. Costume designer Megan Q. Dudley has a bigger challenge: outfitting the cast of twenty-one in 1920's garb. Although the limits of the costume budget can be seen by the women's artificial-looking wigs, Dudley provides the cast with a wide array of attractive – and sometimes beautiful – costumes.

Indeed, the modest scale of The Gallery Players' production of Thoroughly Modern Millie is a strength, not a weakness. While the Broadway incarnation sparkled, its spectacle was larger than life. Freeman has not lost sight of the characters' humanity. As a result, the production has a charm and an earnestness which the orignal lacked. This Millie is worth knowing.