Lifestyle News and Features: The Press of Atlantic City

October 13, 2002

Margate native goes from A.C. Boardwalk to NYC’s Broadway

By VINCENT JACKSON Staff Writer, (609) 272-7202, E-Mail

As a youth, Margate native Michael Rafter played piano on Atlantic City's Garden Pier for Lucille Russo's "Boardwalk Star Review" and worked with bandleader Paul Mann. Now, he's something of a fixture on Broadway.

The 1978 Atlantic City High School graduate is the music director and conductor of Broadway's "Thoroughly Modern Millie," which earned six Tony Awards this year, including best musical. In 1996 and 1997, he was music director for "The King And I," which won the Tony for best musical revival.

Rafter, 42, will also be the musical director of the national tour of "Thoroughly Modern Millie," which begins next summer in Kansas City, Mo.

"The music director helps to shape a show along with the book writer, the lyricists, the choreographer, the director and others," Rafter said, adding that the musical director participates in casting decisions and puts the orchestra together.

For the Broadway production, Rafter selected the musicians in the orchestra. For the touring version, he will be responsible for picking the conductor, the assistant conductor and one or two key musicians. The plan is to rehearse the touring version for five weeks in a New York studio before the entire production heads to Kansas City.

Rafter, now a New York resident, became involved with the musical four years ago. His wife, Jeanine Tesori, joined the musical's creative team five years ago to work on arrangements of old songs. She ended up writing the music for 13 new songs, earning her a Tony Award nomination for best original score written for the theater.

"Thoroughly Modern Millie" was the first time Rafter and Tesori worked together on a Broadway musical. He said it will be their last, even with all of the success they have experienced.

"Usually, the gestation period of a musical is five years. It's my job to act as a sounding board, which is what I do. But it's hard to leave it in the studio or at the office. Also, with the same schedule, we are busy at the same time," making it difficult for one of them to be available for their 5-year-old daughter, Rafter said.

Last year, Rafter was offered the musical director job for the revival of "42nd Street" on Broadway, but he turned it down because he was involved with "Thoroughly Modern Millie."

Before "Millie" made it to Broadway, the show was tried out in the fall of 2000 in La Jolla, Calif., where Rafter, Tesori, and their daughter lived for 10 weeks.

Although the trade publication Variety gave the show a rave review, only 10 minutes of the original Act I performed in California remains.

"You don't rest on your laurels. Everybody agreed we could do better," Rafter said.

Hundreds of actress from New York and Los Angeles tried out for the lead role of Millie Dillmount, but the part went to Sutton Foster, who created the role in the La Jolla Playhouse production and eventually won the Tony for best actress. Prior to landing the part, Foster was touring the country in "Les Miserables" as Eponine, a role she played on Broadway.

"For the lead role, we knew we needed a singular performer, someone who could hold the stage. ... and a singer with a great voice," Rafter said Foster also brings comedic skills and great dancing ability to the role, he said.

Foster and most of the principal actors are contracted to be in the musical through March, as is Rafter. Rafter believes the musical's producers will want Foster to continue into the summer because she won the Tony.

Rafter said the Tonys that the musical won, including best featured actress, choreography, orchestrations and costume design, have a big impact on the continued commercial success of the production.

"All the new musicals want to go after the top prize. ... For the out-of-towners, you want to be in the list of the top two or three shows that they want to spend $100 on," Rafter said. "It would have been more of an uphill battle for the producers if we didn't win, but the strength of our show has always been word of mouth. We always have that in the back of our pockets."

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