'Millie' amuses, and thoroughly
'Millie' amuses, and thoroughly
Fri Apr 19, 6:29 AM ET
Elysa Gardner USA TODAY
NEW YORK -- After disappointing stage adaptations of the films The Graduate and The Sweet Smell of Success, the new Broadway musical Thoroughly Modern Millie ( * *
* out of four) is as welcome as a gooey ice cream sundae after a week-long fast.
That's no arbitrary comparison. Millie, which opened Thursday at the Marquis Theatre, is unabashedly self-indulgent and quaint, and some of its excesses and platitudes might have induced a queasy feeling in a less inspired production. Luckily, the show -- featuring a book by Richard Morris, who wrote the screenplay for the 1967 film, and Dick Scanlan -- offers more than enough irrepressible humor and sheer vivacity to compensate for these potential liabilities.
The new Millie seems to owe a debt to last year's The Producers in the affectionate irreverence with which it sends up both showbiz convention and the constraints of political correctness. The saga of Millie Dillmount, who comes to the Big Apple in 1922 in search of skimpy skirts and a rich husband, is accompanied by a subplot about a scheming woman and two Chinese brothers involved in a white-slavery ring.
The ribald flourishes that arise from this premise are offset by an old-fashioned love story that suggests that even practical women must be guided by their hearts. Morris and Scanlan's dialogue is at once clever and gleefully corny; same goes for Scanlan's lyrics for 11 new songs that supplement 1920s standards and tunes from the film.
This material is well served by an extravagantly talented cast. Sutton Foster's nimble, supple-voiced Millie has a spirited rapport with the wealthy boss she pursues and the eager young man who pursues her -- respectively played by Marc Kudisch and Gavin Creel, who are both potent singers and appealing actors.
As a glamorous widow who befriends Millie, Sheryl Lee Ralph oozes warmth and sass. Harriet Harris proves a radiant ham as the diabolical Mrs. Meers, and Ken Leung and Francis Jue are winningly wacky as her reluctant conspirators, whose Chinese wisecracks are translated on a screen over the stage.
Other amusing, endearing touches abound in David Gallo's set design, Martin Pakledinaz's gloriously gaudy costumes and Rob Ashford's exhilarating choreography. This Millie may not offer much that's novel, but it's a thoroughly delightful experience nonetheless.
Email this story
-
View most popular
|
Printer-friendly format
ADVERTISEMENT
|
ADVERTISEMENT
 |
|
