San Diego Playbill

Thoroughly Modern Millie
by The La Jolla Playhouse

Simply the best new musical comedy that I've seen since … I don't know. Grease? My Fair Lady? The Wizard of Oz??? Well, that might be a small exaggeration, but it's the best in the last few years, anyway. There was talk before it opened that, if successful here in La Jolla, it might possibly go on to New York. I don't think there should be any room for speculation at this point. This baby belongs on Broadway!

The story is set in the Manhattan of 1922. Millie (Sutton Foster), fresh from Kansas, is determined to make her dreams come true in New York. That means getting a job with a financially secure and single boss. She's a modern woman, and less concerned with love than with getting a man who can provide for her. That is, at least, until she meets Jimmy (Jim Stanek) who quickly teaches her the ropes of New York (including the ominous warning: "beware of white slavers!") and introduces her to the exciting underground world of New York speak-easies.

Several amusing storylines take off at that point, and the plot unfolds them effortlessly, tying them all together nicely at the end. There is Millie's romance with Jimmy, Millie's hilarious relationship with her new boss Mr. Graydon (Marc Kudisch), and Ching Ho's (Stephen Sable) crush on Millie's new best friend, Miss Dorothy (Sarah Uriarte Berry). But behind all this romance lurks the sinister Mrs. Meers (Pat Carroll), a white slaver who is also the landlord of the apartment complex in which Millie and Miss Dorothy are staying.

Sutton Foster captivates your attention with her charismatic portrayal of Millie. Initially the understudy, Sutton took on the lead when the original lead, Erin Dilly, left the show. And Sutton has certainly made the most of the opportunity with one of the most memorable characters I've yet seen. Independent, intelligent, self-assured, and practical, but she's also hopelessly romantic, caring, and humorously awkward as a Kansan trying to look modern. Singing-wise, she especially shines in Gimme Gimme, a song written just for her after she was named the lead. Sutton's previous Broadway credits include Sandy in Grease and Eponine in Les Miserables.

Marc Kudisch, as Millie's boss, also delivers a fantastic performance. You'll love his accelerating dictation during The Speed Test scene, and the number I'm Falling in Love with Someone, when Mr. Graydon and Miss Dorothy (Sarah Uriarte Berry) first meet, is probably the funniest scene of the show. In it, Marc (the manly and overconfident boss) suddenly transforms into a fragile flower the moment he lays eyes on his true love. Marc has previously played Chauvelin in Scarlet Pimpernel and Gaston in Broadway's Beauty and the Beast.

Speaking of Disney, Pat Carroll, who plays the evil Mrs. Meers, was the voice of Ursula in Disney's animated feature The Little Mermaid. She is deliciously devilish as the apartment-owning white slaver who seeks out orphaned renters to sell to Asia, supplementing her rental income. Some of the best lines are exchanges between her and Tonya Pinkins (a Tony Award Winner) who plays Muzzy, a singer at the speak-easy and an amazing vocalist. These two accomplished actresses definitely add a unique atmosphere that heightens the level of the play.

Stephen Sable and Francis Jue were engagingly comic as the Chinese immigrants who are working for Mrs. Meers in the hopes of raising enough money to bring their "mammy" to the states. In a neat little twist, they spoke Chinese throughout the play with a translation available above the stage. But unfortunately, the subtitles were so far above the stage that you had to turn your complete attention to either the subtitles or to the actors. I would suggest they lower it closer to the actors or put it a little behind them -- or something so that your eyes can switch back and forth more quickly.

Dick Scanlan and Jeanine Tesori have put together an original musical score with a wide variety of melodies that really seems to capture the flavor of the 1920's. The choreographer (Rob Ashford) did some truly imaginative things with the rolling desks of typewriters and tap dancers during the The Speed Test scene. And the lighting (Donald Holder - Tony Award Winner), scenic (David Gallo), and costume (Robert Perdziola) designers injected the entire stage with energy. They also have a great deal of fun with the revolving center of the stage.

My prediction for its future? Nine Tony Award Nominations including Best New Musical, Best Original Score, Best Actress in a Musical - Sutton Foster, Best Actor in a Musical - Mark Kudisch, Best Featured Actress in a Musical - Tonya Pinkins, Best Costume Design, Best Scenic Design, Best Lighting Design, and Best Direction of a Musical. You heard it here first!

Rob Hopper
San Diego Playbill

~ Cast ~

Millie: Sutton Foster
Muzzy: Tonya Pinkins (Tony Award for Jelly’s Last Jam)
Mrs. Meers: Pat Carroll (Ursula in Disney's The Little Mermaid)
Miss Dorothy: Sarah Uriarte Berry
Jimmy: Jim Stanek
Trevor Graydon: Marc Kudisch
Ching Ho: Stephen Sable
Bun Foo: Francis Jue
Miss Flannery: Anne L. Nathan
Ensemble:
Randl Ask
Kate Baldwin
Joshua Bergasse
Zina Camblin
Julie Connors
David Eggers
Nicole Foret
Matthew Gasper
Gregg Goodbrod
Chane’t Johnson
Matt Lashey
Joe Langworth
Michael Malone
Yusef Miller
Tina Ou
Noah Racey
Megan Sikora
Leigh-Anne Wencker

Director: Michael Mayer
Composer: Jeanine Tesori
Musical Director: Michael Rafter
Choreographer: Rob Ashford
Costume Designer: Robert Perdziola
Set Designer: David Gallo
Lighting Designer: Donald Holder (Tony Award for The Lion King)
Sound Designer: Otts Munderloh