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Joanne Clifton as Millie Thoroughly Modern Millie
The New Alexandra Theatre
***
IF YOU were
looking to write a musical with a solid base of political incorrectness,
then Thoroughly Modern
Millie could just be
the blueprint you are looking for. The current production though suffers from being
something of a derivative, with ideas culled from the 1956 stage
musical, the 1967 movie musical and the 2002 Broadway show. You would need to study each incarnation to
appreciate the creative changes and additions that have occurred over
the years, but what is left still remains a bizarre plot. A failed actress masquerading as a Chinese lady
runs a cheap hotel for girls in New York. When she finds a guest who is
an orphan she drugs them and sends them off into the white slave trade.
Meanwhile, one new guest, Millie a stenographer, gets a new job and sets
out to seduce her boss into marriage. That’s simplifying it maybe, but to fully
appreciate this current show you need to ignore the plot and just
concentrate on some individually well staged performances. These are
played out against a dynamic art deco set and the effective lighting
adds a colourful sense of glamour to the polished dance routines. Unlike other musicals,
other than the key theme song
Thoroughly Modern Millie, it’s the only
musical number that you might know. There is new material by composer
Jeanine Tesori with lyrics by Dick Scanlan which are added to the
original score but the net result is that it’s all a little unfamiliar.
What’s left is rather disconnected and it’s only the skill and
professionalism of the cast, under the lead of director and
choreographer Racky Plews that rescues this madcap comedy. East Enders star Michelle Collins plays Mrs Meers
the hotel owner complete with kimono and severe Pidgin English. The
latter meant that much of what she said was indistinguishable.
Thankfully the full Chinese of her partners in crime, Ching Ho and Bun
Foo, played by Maltese-born Damian Buhagiar and Hong Kong trained Andy
Yau respectively; have their dialogue projected as surtitles on a tiny
screen .Collins performance as Mrs Meers would have benefitted from this
too. The antics of the Chinese trio are all very
pantomime and at odds with the quality of the show's straight central
performances of sweethearts Millie and Jimmy. These are played by
Strictly Dancing Professional Joanne Clifton and the elegant Sam
Barrett. Whilst the big ensemble
numbers shine, it was the simple intimacy of a scene with the pairing
singing I turned the Corner
whilst dancing in front of the company’s logo that was memorable.
Unfortunately it was the only point whereby any romantic emotion was
created. Miss Clifton proved she
has a more than capable musical theatre singing voice but the best vocal
performance was Jenny Fitzpatrick as Muzzy Van Hossmere who blew the
roof off with a belter of a performance singing
Only in New York.
Another individual performance that was noteworthy but unrelated to the
plot was Graham MacDuff as Trevor Graydon. He created a lot of laughter
with a drunk routine and although it was an enjoyable interlude it
seemed like an afterthought. If you are a fan of the movie version with its
madcap comedy, vaudeville jazz and energy then you are sure to
appreciate the additional layers of glamour and dance that have been
added here to the original formulae. It’s hard not to appreciate the
sheer professionalism within this six Tony Awards winning show and if
you are patient to endure the dialogue and segues between the songs and
big dance routines, you are guaranteed to have a thoroughly enjoyable
evening. To 18-02-17 Jeff Grant 14-02-17 |
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