Thoroughly Modern Millie

This tale of a 1920’s small town girl coming to New York, not to find fame but a career and husband, was an ideal vehicle to show off the talents of the youngsters in this company. Rebecca McCall was outstanding in the lead role of Millie Dillmont with a powerful singing voice, whether in the upbeat numbers such as the title song or the more reflective love song “Jimmy” at the close of Act 1, and excellent stage presence. Bradley Philips as Jimmy Smith, the undercover millionaire, was excellent as Millie’s (eventual) love interest and I particularly liked his rendition of “What Do I Need With Love?”. Hollie Cunningham as Miss Dorothy, the society girl out to discover how the other half live, had a beautiful voice and a nice ditzy blonde comedy touch. Ewan Bruce as Trevor Graydon, Millie’s boss, had a lovely rich voice which was shown to its full potential in the duet “Ah! Sweet Mystery of Life/Falling in Love with Someone” with Miss Dorothy and in the G & S patter-like “The Speed Test”. Shelly Cunningham as Mussy van Hossmere, cabaret star and step-mother of Jimmy and Dorothy, had a lovely strong voice and had the mannerisms of a star with a heart of gold to a T. Much of the comedy in the piece was provided by evil hotel keeper Mrs Meers and her Chinese helpers Bun Foo and Ching Ho, played on the performance I saw by Elise Bryce, Aiden Combe and the diminutive Corey Adams respectively. Singing and dancing by the chorus were very good and I was particularly impressed by the tap dancing in “The Speed Test” number representing the sound of typing. The New York skyline set, inspired by the design and colours of the Statue of Liberty, was simple but extremely effective allowing for a good flow between scenes. Costuming was appropriate to the period and the dresses worn by the three principal girls were stunning. Well done to all at Giz Giz for a very entertaining evening.

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