Author's product rating: 
| Advantages: |
Entertaining brainless musical |
| Disadvantages: |
Just not memorable |
| Recommend to potential buyers: |
yes |
Thoroughly Modern Millie is a musical stage adaptation of the film musical of the same name. Currently playing in London's West End, it won 6 tonys and 4 drama desk awards on Broadway before opening in the Shaftesbury Theatre.
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The Plot
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Set in the roaring twenties, Millie (Amanda Holden) is a country girl who wants to make it big in the city. Her intended method of doing this is to marry a millionaire (in a rather Breakfast at Tiffanysesque manner). She arrives in New York and runs into Jimmy, a young gentleman of questionable reputation and indeterminate employment.
He tells her to check into a boarding house for aspiring actresses which is run by Mrs Meers (Maureen Lipman) who is an American conwoman badly disguised as a Chinese madam. She is in the business of selling aspiring young actresses into slavery in Hong Kong. She has two comedy assistants who speak only Cantonese.
Millie gets a job as a Stenographer to a Trevor, a millionaire businessman, but keeps meeting Jimmy for elicity partying and of course, falls in love with him. Especially when he takes her to Miss Mussy Van Hosmeer's private party. Mussy becomes another one of Millies friends.
The romance sets up a dilemma though - should she still try and marry Trevor or should she continue romancing Jimmy?
The problem is solved when she brings her best friend, Miss Dorothy to the office - and Trevor falls instantly in love.
Miss Dorothy disappears and Trevor, Milly, Mussy and Jimmy form a rescue party. Mussy pretends she is a young actress with no family and is kidnapped by Mrs Meers. They then ambush her in the Laundry room and the play is resolved.
Mussy reveals that Miss Dorothy and Jimmy are her children. Miss Dorothy has fallen in love with one of the chinese laundrymen. The other one is a Stenographer and goes off with Trevor. Jimmy and Millie are together and Jimmy is very rich.
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The Score
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Apart from the theme tune from the film, none of the original songs are used in the show (the rights could not be obtained). The result is that the rest of the score is very bland and unmemorable. The tunes are largely twenties pastiche with the exception of a Gilbert and Sullivan parody, and the use of "Mammy".
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The Book
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The book is reasonably strong given the rather silly plot but in order to absorb the story into a musical there are a few leaps of faith for the audience. Mrs Meers is directed in away that the audience know she can clearly see that Mussy is not a young actress. She still kidnaps her however in order to get to the denouement.
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Direction and Choreography
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The show has a fast pace, and some great dance numbers. There are some fossesque nods as well as the growing tradition of nods towards other west end shows (or ideas nicked from!) including the desks on wheels (Our House) and windowledge scene (Saturday NIght Fever) .
The comedy is excellent and the idea of subtitles for the Catonese is hilarious - particularly when the idea is stood on its head and we get english singing with cantonese subtitles!
The lift is a bit naff, although effective, and the transitions as a whole are very smooth and slick. The characters are very lively although quite two dimensional.
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The Cast
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For the most part, the cast are what really bring this show to life.
Maureen Lipman is hilarious as the insidious Mrs Meers - "so sadd to be arr arone in de wooorl..." and has a number of little sight gags and tricks as well as one of the most memorable song and dance numbers - an English / Cantonese version of "Mammy".
Mark McGee was also excellent as Jimmy. A strong musical theatre voice and a very slick, polished performance.
Craig Urbani again put in a polished performance as the stuffed shirt Trevor and rather eloquently performed his G&S patter song "Take a Letter".
The cast member i was most disappointed with (and least surprised by) was Amanda Holden as Millie. I am not a great fan of Amanda Holden, but even so, objectively she just really wasn't quite right for the part. Millie has really strong belty lines to sing and Amanda Holden just wasn't up to the job. A couple of songs were even stranger as the range was about 2 notes too high for her to try and belt, and the result was a strange sound indeed. The acting and dancing was fine, but this is primarily a role for a singer - and a belter at that.
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The Set & Costume
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The set is inventive and really captures the essence of the 20s. Lots of different locations are used and the costume and set colours are bright and vivid.
Many of the sets were very inventive - lots of "Our House" style desks on wheels for the office and a lovely black and white pinstipe uniform effect but with lurid orange stockings that were a visual treat.
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Summary
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Although enjoyable, Thoroughly Modern Millie has a somewhat unsatisfactory feel. The songs are all very nice, but you don't go out singing. The two most memorable tunes were the ones not written by the person whom the "new music" is attributed to, and as the other 90% of the musical is all under the category of "new music" that makes for a rather bland show. In fact unusually for a Musical it is rather hard to find out who wrote the music!!
The casting is strong and it is worth a visit just to see Maureen Lipman, but I can't help feel that this is yet another case of a strong cast being used to prop up a weak show. if you want to see a fabulous 20s musical you can nip down the road to see Anything Goes. On the other hand if you can get a 2 for 1 deal, TMM is worth a look in.
Original musicals are few and far between these days and those that are produced are sadly under patronised. As this one isn't original it will probably run for at least another 6 months on the reputation of the film and cast. This is a show that requires no use of the brain at all, and which will leave you entertained but not really moved.
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Location and Tickets
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The show is on at the Shaftesbury Theatre - one of my favourites. It's handy for Covent Garden and there are some excellent restaurants near (Try Da Mario for a cheap italian dinner with excellent service).
The Shaftesbury is well set out with almost no reduced visability in the stalls or circle. Avoid the Gods and the very back of the stalls though.
Students are recommended to go early week and get a Student Standby - you'll almost certainly be able to sneak forward to a top price seat.
Prices:-
Top price is £40 - not too bad given the tripe that is demanding £50 top price. As always the prices go down depending on where you sit.
Tickets are available from:-
http://www.lastminute.com
http://www.ticketmaster.co.uk
and of course from the Leicester Square Half Price Ticket Booth.
