Sweeping audiences back to the 1920’s, Thoroughly Modern
Millie is filled with sharp choreography, fantastic songs and a cast who knows
how to have fun with it.
Millie Dillmount (Francesca Lara Gordon) has arrived in New
York in search of a new life for herself. It is 1922 when jazz was popular;
women were beginning to join the workforce and the rules of social behaviour
were changed forever.
Along the way to discovering New York in the hopes of
meeting her future husband, Millie has a number of different adventures that
makes for a hilarious time for the audience.
Francesca Lara Gordon as Millie is feisty and full of spirit
but with just enough of vulnerability thrown in to make her likeable for the
audience – she really is the modern woman. Her vocals throughout numbers such
as ‘Forget About the Boy’ and ‘Gimme Gimme’ are impressive and showcase her
talents as a performer well.
But there are plenty of other standout performances to enjoy
as well. Such as Christina Meehan’s performances as the fierce Miss Peg
Flannery and Ruth – showing great comedy timing throughout and Steph Parry’s
performance as Mrs Meers was hilarious even if it was slightly over the top at
times. Meanwhile, Ben Stacey as Jimmy was elegant and charming throughout,
complementing Gordon’s spirited Millie well.
The choreography by Sam Spencer Lane was particularly
impressive, really evoking the feeling of being in the 1920’s – particularly
during ‘The Nuttycracker
Matthew Iliffe’s version of Thoroughly Modern Millie is a
creative and imaginative production that really captures the excitement and
mood that the 1920’s brought with it – particularly for women such as the scene
where Millie and her friends go drinking and end up getting arrested. The
audience really begins to get a sense of how exciting the 1920’s were for women
and how it gave them a sense of freedom that they had never experienced before.
Every element of the production is done with enthusiasm,
including the performances by the band – which can overpower the vocals in some
places such as during ‘Only in New York’.
The production moves at a swift pace that it can be
difficult to get a sense of
However, this doesn’t really affect the wonderfully slick
and polished production as a whole and if you are a musical fan you will
thoroughly enjoy this adaptation. It is refreshing to see a show that is filled
with so much joy and enthusiasm from beginning to end.
Thoroughly Modern Millie is a fast, sassy and sharp
production with memorable performances from the entire cast and argues that
this is a musical that deserves to be seen on stage more regularly.
Review by Emma Clarendon
Rating: ★★★★
