By Lydia Melby
There is a time and a place for everything – Prohibition, bobbing your hair, tapping your way up to the twelfth floor and the fantastically campy Homecoming musical, Thoroughly Modern Millie.
Millie is a giddy piece of work that celebrates the modernism, the extravagance and the flappers of the roaring twenties, while poking fun at the sinister undertone that people rarely associate with the decade. The dance numbers are spirited, the music is catchy, and the costumes – oh, the costumes. Satin and feathers and fringe, bowlers and tuxes, everything perfectly designed to create a spectacular effect, almost like watching a whirling silk circus.
The show starts off with a bang and plows straight through to the end. The dialogue serves as little more than a thread to stitch the musical numbers together, and many of the characters are really just glorified props, but the enthusiasm and evident hard work of the department make up for the show itself.
Kat Bailey, who plays Millie Dillmount, is bright and dogged in her portrayal of the Midwestern girl determined to modernize herself with things like alcohol and “marriage for money’s sake.” Bailey stays spunky throughout; her unflagging energy is laudable. Her voice is solid, her many dance and tap numbers are exuberant and effortless, and she plays the bouncy tunes, like Not For the Life of Me, and the slower pieces, like Gimme, Gimme, evenly.
Blake Rogers is delightful as Jimmy, the street-wise Casanova who tests Millie’s dedication to her new life as “a modern woman.” He showcases his engaging voice in numbers, like What Do I Need With Love? and I Turned the Corner. His talent and boyish charm make up for the complete lack of chemistry between his character and Millie, and he is obviously comfortable on stage.
Peter Hargrave, who plays Millie’s boss – and her hoped-for husband – Mr. Trevor Graydon, gives his character just the right amount of over-the-top strait-laced sincerity. He is an appealing performer with a winning personality and handsome voice. A perfect example of his ability is his great number, The Speed Test, which he navigates with ease.
Jamie Patterson is solid in her role as Miss Dorothy Brown, the clueless actress who lives next door to Millie. Her voice has its lovely moments, and though she occasionally appears listless, prancing through her steps without much conviction, for the most part she conveys well the dreaminess of her character and provides a perfect foil to Millie’s vivaciousness.
Brittany Murphy does the best she can with the role of Mrs. Meers, the villainous hotel owner. Meers is an ill-conceived character whose political incorrectness rivals that of Dean from last year’s All Shook Up. However, Murphy’s fake Chinese accent is funny, and her numbers are more enjoyable than expected.
Jerry Mendl and Dom Huynh are also hilarious in their portrayal of Ching Ho and Bun Foo, two brothers blackmailed into a criminal partnership with Mrs. Meers. Mendl steals each of his scenes as the adorable cohort with a heart, and the Mammy number with the brothers, Mrs. Meers and their subtitles is easily the funniest piece of the show.
For a show about love, Mendle is the only one who convincingly demonstrates it, and he doesn’t even act in English.
Payton Jones, Jeremy Varner and Erick Carter all deserve recognition for their superb dancing and stunts, along with Mandee Rector for excelling in her steamy pearl-string dance.
Carlee Cagle, who won me over last year in Little Women, continues to impress as Muzzy Van Hossmere, a carefree jazz singer who gives one of the most enjoyable performances of the show.
The true star of the show, however, would have to be the chorus. Numbers such as Thoroughly Modern Millie, its reprise, The Speed Test, and the best song of the show, Forget About the Boy, are flashy and engaging, thanks to the choreography and energy of the performers.
The set serves its purpose well enough, though parts of it try for a modern-art emerald-city feel, in stark contrast to other straight and realistic pieces.
For all its faults and fumbles, Thoroughly Modern Millie is an enjoyable show, especially if you have a soft spot for flapper dresses and speakeasies. While the quality of the show is questionable, the quality of ACU’s theatre department is almost above reproach. Plus, students can buy tickets at the door and even charge them to their student accounts. So, whether you know someone in the show, are looking for something more entertaining than blow-up decorations in the campus mall or just need a good ol’ pick-me up, that is reason enough to go to the show.
Thoroughly Modern Millie is definitely a serving of extravagant, frosted fun. It’s up to the audience to decide if it leaves them with a smile and a sugar high or a bit of a toothache.
