BWW Preview: THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE Taps Its Way Into Quincy Music Theatre

I wonder if Thoroughly Modern Millie would succeed if it were staged for the first time in 2017. For people in 2017, "modern" love involves "swiping" a screen based on first impressions, scrolling dating sites trying to figure out if someone has a prayer of being "the one," and being flexible about whether or not marriage is actually something to aspire to.

At Quincy Music Theatre, Thoroughly Modern Millie plans to take audiences back to 1922, when marriage for social stature was (for some women) more important than marriage for love and when a "bob" hairstyle was a renegade choice.

Director Keith Meccia shared these thoughts:

I wanted to direct this show because I love big splashy musicals and I have a huge place in my heart for tap dancing. This is also my second time directing this show; I directed the Junior version six years ago (the full version is a lot more fun to direct). I also love the story and how much heart this show has. It really teaches you the meaning of true love and role of Millie is such a fun character to watch grow throughout the show. She is strong willed and knows what she wants, and she truly goes after it, in a quirky and fun way. I hope people will leave this show happy and have a fun time. This show is a wonderful musical comedy that will hopefully leave with a huge smile on their face."

After observing a dress rehearsal, I left the theatre happy - it's really hard not to have a grin on your face after seeing Thoroughly Modern Millie done well. Audiences have a lot to look forward to, with special highlights coming from:

• An outstanding, energetic ensemble fully engaged in luring audience members back to the early 20s
• Outstanding vocals, especially from Erin Williams who plays Millie Dilmount, Leslie Gray who plays Muzzy Van Hossmere, and Stephanie Svisco who plays Miss Dorothy Brown
• Versatile work by a crew who transforms a rooming house into an office into a speakeasy and more
• Pacing by Williams as Millie which grows over the course of the show, with her most forceful delivery appropriately occurring near the end of the second act

Naomi Rose-Mock, who is often found directing shows here in the Tallahassee region, takes a turn on stage, lending her experience and passion for performance to the role of Mrs. Meers. Rose-Mock has these thoughts about the challenging role:

I always love true character parts like this. The lure of acting for me has always been to play someone totally different to oneself...it's such an escape. I also love accent and dialect work, so the fact that I got to speak in not one but two different accents this entire show was a self-indulgent thrill. This entire cast is terrific! It's an honor to share the stage with them.

The most challenging part of the role was learning to hear my cue lines in actual Chinese. Derek Quesada (Ching Ho) and Dan Hall (Bun Foo) had the lion's share of the work though- I get to do a "bad actress"-style interpretation of Chinese while speaking English. Quesada and Hall had to learn both mandarin and Cantonese words with accurate pronunciation!

As you can see, there is a lot of detail that goes into interpreting "modern" love in the speakeasy age.

Go to Quincy Music Theatre to see for yourself. You'll leave saying "Gimme Gimme" more!

Photo Credit: Quincy Music Theatre

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