Friday, May 24, 2002

LIZ SMITH
'Millie' Could Be the Charm

By LIZ SMITH

     NEW YORK--"Hey, don't worry," said Michael Mayer, responding to my apologies for being late the other day. "It's the longest down time I've had in two years!" The director of this season's Broadway hit, "Thoroughly Modern Millie" (11 Tony nominations!), and I were meeting at Un Deux Trois restaurant in the theater district for iced tea and talk.
     "This is my third Tony nomination for directing, and I'm hoping three is my lucky number," Mayer confided. He is a gracious guy with enormous charm, telling me he gave up his life's desire to be an actor when he found himself constantly cast as Matthew Broderick's understudy. "I wanted more than that," he said.
     "More" is what Mayer is having now. His bio boasts many Broadway and off-Broadway productions. Earlier this season, he directed Kevin Bacon in "An Almost Holy Picture." A few years ago, he did the acclaimed revival of "A View From the Bridge." He directed one of my favorite musical flops, "Triumph of Love." He is also a resident director for the Roundabout Theatre Company.
     Now he leaves for London to find actors for his first film. The movie is to be "A Home at the End of the World," based on Michael Cunningham's novel. Shooting begins in September on the screenplay that he co-wrote with the novelist.