Thoroughly Middle America Millie
Now Millie is a girl who, in the midst of the Jazz Age, arrives in the heart of the Big Apple and declares herself to be "a modern." Yet, in the strange paradox that is Broadway, neither she nor her namesake musical is thoroughly modern, not even for the 1920's. The theme is hardly modern - there's nothing particularly advanced about marrying for convenience and money - and given the number of times "white slavery" rang out, the lingo hardy qualifies. The musical is actually a revival of a 1967 movie and much of the music sounds like period music written for the 20's but written in and of the early 60's (not to mention derivative - I recognized songs from 42nd Street and Mame). The costumes and sets are fun and glittering with sequins and gilt but were not exactly the Berlin Opera. So wherefore modern?
The most modern thing about Thoroughly Modern Millie is its total lack of the now, of the avante garde, of anything even remotely resembling contemporary music, theatre, or New York culture. Mostly this musical is a broad appeal to New York's steady stream of tourists from Middle America (could this also account for The Olive Garden that has recently sprung up in Chelsea?). And given that the lead of the musical, who was notably flat on a number of occasions, received a standing ovation, I would say the appeal is effective.
The book and lyrics, again despite the horrifying “White Slavery” business, are clever and well-conceived. The few jokes about Dorothy Parker did not go over so well but I have to give the writers credit for the wincing nod at high culture. Sadly, the audience passed right over references to the Circle Line and other New York City ephemera (hardly!), but I guess that’s to be expected for the out-of-towners such as they were.
Millie worships at the temple of dance (a la Ice Capades) as so many new musicals do - Chicago, Fosse, Contact, and so on. And though the cast is lithe and lean, the way dancers should be, so is their sotto voce. The score leaves the cast little choice but to be brassy and brash, though the occasional flatting and even sharping is unnecessary and pained me to no end. The only female with a truly capable voice is a professional singer, by the name of Leslie Uggams. Marc Kudisch, who plays one of the male leads, is a genius with facial expressions and hand gestures. In the acting, or shall I say comedic, department, most of the cast delivers spot-on performances, though overcooked in some of the lesser roles. Of Sutton Foster who plays Millie, I heard one of the audience members whisper during the show, "Isn't she just the cutest thing?"
Oh sure, the show was more entertaining than watching a movie on DVD, but for $75 a ticket, should we not expect a little more than the Netflix Friday Night Ritual? I am beginning to realize why I prefer opera nowadays. Amazing that Verdi's La Traviata could be so more thoroughly modern than Thoroughly Modern Millie herself.
The most modern thing about Thoroughly Modern Millie is its total lack of the now, of the avante garde, of anything even remotely resembling contemporary music, theatre, or New York culture. Mostly this musical is a broad appeal to New York's steady stream of tourists from Middle America (could this also account for The Olive Garden that has recently sprung up in Chelsea?). And given that the lead of the musical, who was notably flat on a number of occasions, received a standing ovation, I would say the appeal is effective.
The book and lyrics, again despite the horrifying “White Slavery” business, are clever and well-conceived. The few jokes about Dorothy Parker did not go over so well but I have to give the writers credit for the wincing nod at high culture. Sadly, the audience passed right over references to the Circle Line and other New York City ephemera (hardly!), but I guess that’s to be expected for the out-of-towners such as they were.
Millie worships at the temple of dance (a la Ice Capades) as so many new musicals do - Chicago, Fosse, Contact, and so on. And though the cast is lithe and lean, the way dancers should be, so is their sotto voce. The score leaves the cast little choice but to be brassy and brash, though the occasional flatting and even sharping is unnecessary and pained me to no end. The only female with a truly capable voice is a professional singer, by the name of Leslie Uggams. Marc Kudisch, who plays one of the male leads, is a genius with facial expressions and hand gestures. In the acting, or shall I say comedic, department, most of the cast delivers spot-on performances, though overcooked in some of the lesser roles. Of Sutton Foster who plays Millie, I heard one of the audience members whisper during the show, "Isn't she just the cutest thing?"
Oh sure, the show was more entertaining than watching a movie on DVD, but for $75 a ticket, should we not expect a little more than the Netflix Friday Night Ritual? I am beginning to realize why I prefer opera nowadays. Amazing that Verdi's La Traviata could be so more thoroughly modern than Thoroughly Modern Millie herself.
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