Thoroughly Modern Millie-The Musical

Thoroughly Modern Millie - The Musical is based on the 1967 film of the same name, which itself was based on the British musical Chrysanthemum, which opened in London in 1956.  The style of the musical has been described as “comic pastiche” and integrates new tunes with some previously written songs

The material has not dated well – luckily in this production Beth and the team delivered a high energy show with lively choreography and “self-aware” delivery of the dialogue that otherwise would have grated including as it does, “white slavery”, “being a modern” and “Asian hotel cleaners”.

At the centre of the production was a tour de force vocal, dance and acting performance from Lucy Castle as the eponymous Millie. This was Lucy’s first lead and she grabbed it with both hands, face and indeed every part of her body.  Coupled with her role as one of the choreographers Millie was clearly something Lucy loved and that enthusiasm and skill was evident throughout the evening.  

She was ably supported by Rob Charles as Jimmy Smith, Chris Bryan as Trevor Graydon, Cat Tuckey as Dorothy Brown, Sasha Cornelius as Muzzy Van Hossmere, Cheryl Mills as Miss Flannery and the rest of the hotel girls, tap troupe and ensemble, many of whom had choreographed parts of the show, together delivered a very strong overall cast.  

Special mention should be given to Andy Bulmer and Mariko Jones for learning the Cantonese with full intonation and quarter tones.  Their dialogue was delivered completely straight, without a “cod” Asian accent, and thus avoided the potential casual racism that would have been present if Ching Ho and Bun Foo had been played as caricatures or stereotypes.  As a contrast, Sandy Lane delivered Mrs Meers with exactly the right level of over-emphasised “Chinglish” and American straight from the Bronx..

If you had not read the programme you would not have been able to tell that the show had a number of different choreographers and this is a great credit to Mina, Lucy, Jennifer, Jodie and Beth.  In addition to choreography, Mina was also responsible for a significant number of the costumes which must have taken months of work to deliver.  Their tone, style and uniformity together with the simple but effective staging and sympathetic lighting all added to production and provided a great backdrop for the show.

Stage management moved with great speed keeping the action moving and the sound balance was always just right between stage and pit.  Morris Fisher had clearly been working his cast during rehearsals as the diction and quality of vocal performance was evident from principals and ensemble alike.

Another enjoyable show ably directed by Beth Yeasley, her cast clearly wanted to deliver their best for her and her enthusiasm, attention to detail and sheer hard work shone through.     

Congratulations folks and I look forward to Urinetown next year.

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