Review: 'Thoroughly Modern Mille' at Goodspeed Musicals

The cast of Goodspeed Musicals’ take “The Speed Test” in Thoroughly Modern Millie now playing at The Goodspeed through July 2.Photo Credit © Photos by Diane Sobolewski

East Haddam, CT - ‘Thoroughly Modern Millie,’ a musical with music by Jeanine Tesori, lyrics by Dick Scanlan, and a book by Richard Morris and Scanlan, opens the 2017 season at Goodspeed Musicals. It is based on the 1967 film of the same name and the musical is in the style of comic pastiche. The musical tells the story of a small-town girl, Millie Dillmount, who comes to NYC to marry for boss for money instead of love, which was a thoroughly modern aim in 1922 when women were just entering the workforce. The title character begins to take delight in the flapper lifestyle, but problems arise when she checks into a hotel owned by the leader of a white slavery ring in China. In the original Broadway production in 2002, the then-unknown Sutton Foster was the last minute replacement to play the title role.

The Goodspeed production was directed and choreographed by Denis Jones, who tried to bring the majestic Art Deco of 1920s NYC to the small Goodspeed Opera House stage. Joshua S. Ritter, Education Manager and Library Director at Goodspeed writes that the director’s goal was to bring vibrancy and joy to the stage with this “rollicking tap-happy show filled with madcap mistaken identity, the energy of the roaring twenties and plenty of heart.” Some “moderns” in the audience may still be offended by the portrayal of the Asian characters, despite the efforts of the writing team to soften the stereotype.

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I enjoyed the press night performance along with a slew of local critics. ‘Millie’ runs through July 2 at the Goodspeed Opera House.