By CHRIS ALLEN Special to the Daily Press
The Ahmanson Theatre has done it again with an absolutely fantastic performance with Thoroughly Modern Millie — 2002’s most awarded new show on Broadway and the winner of six Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Choreography, Best Orchestrations and Best Costume Design.
This bright musical, based on the Richard Morris film of the same name in 1967, has new music and lyrics by Jeanine Tesori and Dick Scanlan. It features songs from the movie, a few 1920s standards, and nine brand new ones by Tesori.
This wildly fun musical is written with style and flair, telling a story of outward appearances and inward intentions. Millie Dillmount, played wonderfully by Darcie Roberts, is a Midwestern girl looking to be a modern-1920s woman in New York City. She plans to make it big with her modern-vogue ideas of love and money. She meets many great characters on her adventure — many of whom are not what they appear to be. The success of this show is the culmination of fabulous stylized costumes and great choreography that sends us back to the ’20s when women had bob cuts and short skirts were just above the knee, and men’s accessories included vests and fedoras with a suit.
Michael Mayer directs this production brilliantly. Mayer makes it easy for the audience to follow along with the action so that they don’t miss a single moment. Best of all, the audience won’t even feel that they are being guided through the production. Instead, they are making this journey on their own.
The dialogue of the show is written with the perfect blend of simple one-liners and character-driven humor. The result is non-stop hilarity and cliff-hanging excitement. Like all great musicals, the songs are catchy, leaving people with melodies that will run through their heads for days until they buy the soundtrack. Let’s not leave out the second-most important part of a great musical, the choreography. Millie is stock full of fun, jazzy ’20s inspired music with great ensemble and tap numbers that leave you begging for more flapper dresses and pin stripe suits.
This is a show that’s great for all ages. Thoroughly Modern Millie is playing at the Ahmanson Theatre in downtown Los Angeles. The performances run through July 25 and you can purchase tickets online at www.taper-ahmanson.com, or by calling the box-office (213) 628-2772.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on June 4, 2004. Read the original PDF.