LA JOLLA, CA -- Reports that a mirror ball crashed on the stage floor and almost hit Sutton Foster, who plays Millie, during the Sunday, Oct. 15 performance of Thoroughly Modern Millie are true, except that the mirror ball was not massive, it was not made of glass, it was not expensive, and as it turns out, most audience members did not see it fall. Neither was Sutton Foster hurt, or in any way in danger of being hit by the mirror ball.

La Jolla production official Josh Ellis told Theatre.com Oct. 16 that during the end of Act One, when Foster was singing the song "Jimmy," a plastic mirror ball did fall to the stage, but "no one was hurt."

"The mirror ball was made out of plastic," Ellis said. "When it fell, no one was there. People in the audience didn't even know it happened because the ball dropped behind a piece of scenery."

Despite the mirror ball incident, Foster's performance continued without interruption.

Ellis added: "After Foster's song, there was a reveal [when the stage opened up during a stage transtion], but by then the backstage were able to remove the little facets of mirror without the audience seeing it."

Reports about the crashing mirror ball follow a recent series of technical gaffes, especially one involving a turntable set. The computer problems resulted in a series of preview delays, one day at a time over three days.

Now that it's off and running, Thoroughly Modern Millie, which officially opens Oct. 22, is generating terrific buzz from musical comedy lovers who have seen the show at La Jolla. According to Millie fanatics, Sutton Foster is wowing the audience, particularly during her "Gimme Gimme" song number.

Also receiving advance kudos are Jim Stanek, who plays Jimmy, Sarah Uriarte Berry who plays Miss Dorothy and Marc Kudisch who plays Trevor Grayden.

The costumes by Robert Perdziola, Ellis told Theatre.com, are simply "drop-dead gorgeous" and "haute couture."

"The pictures we've released so far are just to get us by," he Ellis said. "Wait til we send you the new ones."

And the show's ending, he added, is a smash.

Perhaps this is why La Jolla Playhouse has decided to raise the ticket prices for Millie during the show's one-week extension through Nov. 19. During those nine performances, tickets are $49 from Tuesday through Thursday, $65 on Friday and Saturday matinee, and $69 for Saturday night and Sunday matinee.

For tickets, call (858) 550-1010.