Thoroughly Modern Millie (musical)

Thoroughly Modern Millie
Original Broadway Windowcard
MusicJeanine Tesori
LyricsDick Scanlan
BookRichard Morris
Dick Scanlan
BasisThoroughly Modern Millie
by Richard Morris
Chrysanthemum
by Robin Chancellor
Neville Phillips
Robb Stewart
Productions2002 Broadway
2003 US tour
2003 West End
2005 UK tour
2017 UK tour
Awardsnumerous, including:
Tony Award for Best Musical
Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Musical

Thoroughly Modern Millie is a musical with music by Jeanine Tesori, lyrics by Dick Scanlan, and a book by Richard Morris and Scanlan.[1] It is based on the 1967 film of the same name,[2] which itself was based on the British musical Chrysanthemum, which opened in London in 1956.[3] Thoroughly Modern Millie tells the story of a small-town girl, Millie Dillmount, who comes to New York City to marry for money instead of love – a thoroughly modern aim in 1922, when women were just entering the workforce. Millie soon 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.[4] The style of the musical is comic pastiche. Like the film on which it is based, it interpolates new tunes with some previously written songs.

After previews at the La Jolla Playhouse in San Diego, California, in October 2000,[5] the show opened on Broadway on April 18, 2002.[1] The production subsequently won six 2002 Tony Awards, including Best Musical.[6] Due to the success of the original Broadway production, there was both a United States tour[7] and a West End production[8] launched in 2003, followed by a United Kingdom tour in 2005.[9] The musical has since become a popular choice for high school productions,[10] but has garnered controversy over its racial stereotyping of its Asian characters,[11] and has been described as "a piece [that] walks the line of being entertaining and highly offensive".[12]

  1. ^ a b "Internet Broadway Database: Thoroughly Modern Millie". The League of American Theatres and Producers. Retrieved 2007-06-18.
  2. ^ Lefkowitz, David (April 17, 1998). "Report: Bridge's Michael Mayer To Modernize Millie For B'way". Playbill, Inc. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved 2007-06-21.
  3. ^ "Chrysanthemum", Guidetomusicaltheatre.com
  4. ^ "The Guide to Musical Theatre: Thoroughly Modern Millie". David Lewis. Retrieved 2007-06-21.
  5. ^ Jones, Kenneth and Robert Simonson (October 8, 2000). "Millie Wows La Jolla Audience in Makeshift Concert Reading October 6". Playbill, Inc. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved 2007-06-21.
  6. ^ "The American Theatre Wing's Tony Awards — Official Site by IBM". IBM Corp., Tony Awards Productions. Retrieved 2007-06-18.
  7. ^ Jones, Kenneth (July 15, 2003). "Beat the Drums, Here Comes Millie on Tour, Starting July 15". Playbill, Inc. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved 2007-06-21.
  8. ^ Simonson, Robert (September 24, 2003). "Full Cast of London Millie Announced; Begins October 11". Playbill, Inc. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved 2007-06-21.
  9. ^ Jones, Kenneth (June 20, 2004). "Thoroughly Modern Millie Ends Broadway Run; National Tour Continues and U.K. Tour Expected". Playbill, Inc. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved 2007-06-21.
  10. ^ Zoglin, Richard (May 15, 2008). "Bye Bye, Birdie. Hello, Rent". Time Inc. Archived from the original on May 19, 2008. Retrieved 2009-07-08.
  11. ^ Bomeny, Felipe (2015-03-03). "Is "Thoroughly Modern Millie" Racist?". THE MUSE. Retrieved 2019-04-13.
  12. ^ "School District Bans 'Thoroughly Modern Millie' After Protests at High School Performance". OnStage Blog. Retrieved 2019-04-17.

© MMXXIII Rich X Search. We shall prevail. All rights reserved. Rich X Search