NEW YORK -- I caught up with Jeanine Tesori before she heads out to La Jolla Playhouse for Thoroughly Modern Millie. She and lyricist/bookwriter Dick Scanlan have been working hard on the new score.

"It's been great fun -- I'm creating a whole musical world, combining the songs from the film, the bands of the '20's, and my own ideas," she said. "It's all pulled together by my new vocal arrangements and new accompaniments for the preexisting songs. And Ralph Burns is orchestrating, which is wonderful. We're placing the music in the world of Fletcher Henderson, Paul Whiteman, Louis Hines, and the other bands of the time, and not the sound of musicals that have been set in the '20's."

Tesori said when director Michael Mayer approached her to do the show, she was initially wary. "Michael is a good person, and a good collaborator, but I had seen and liked Good News, The Boyfriend,, and No No Nannette, and I felt that kind of show had already been done. But we've taken it in a different direction, and it's turned out well."

Millie will be a family affair, as Tesori's husband, Michael Rafter, will music-direct, as he did with Tesori's Violet at Playwrights Horizons a few years ago.

Though casting is not complete for Millie, Erin Dilly, Marc Kudisch, Sarah Uriarte Berry, Tonya Pinkins and Jim Stanek will play the leads.

Tesori is also busy working on a musical adaptation of Don Juan DeMarco, with book and lyrics by Tony Kushner. The show had a reading recently at Lincoln Center. In addition, she and Scanlan wrote the theme song for Kristin Chenoweth's new sitcom, and a song for Chenoweth's solo album on Sony Records, which should be out in January.

How is she managing all this, in addition caring for a very young daughter? "I've given up sleep and TV, which is too bad, because I like TV."