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Music by: Jeanine Tesori
Lyrics by: Dick Scanlan
Directed by: Michael Mayer
Book by: Dick Scanlan & Richard Morris
Previews from October 6th 2000
October 22nd 2000 - December 10th 2000
La Jolla Playhouse
San Diego, California
SYNOPSIS
Set in 1922, the story revolves around the adventures of Millie Dillmount, who escapes to New York City determined to get a job as a stenographer in order to marry her wealthy boss. Shedding her country girl clothing for the modern look of a "flapper", she takes a room at the Priscilla Hotel for Women, unaware it's a front for a prostitution ring. In short time, she finds herself involved with Jimmy Smith, an apparently ne'er-do-well, Miss Dorothy "Just Perfect" Brown, a genteel aspiring actress, Trevor "Swell" Graydon, her no-nonsense boss, and Muzzy "Raspberries!" van Hossmere, a madcap heiress with a zest for the high life.
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OPENING NIGHT CAST
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Sutton Foster
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Millie Dillmount
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Marc Kudisch
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Trevor Graydon
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Jim Stanek
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Jimmy Smith
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Sarah Uriarte Berry
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Miss Dorothy
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Stephen Sable
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Ching Ho
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Francis Jue
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Bun Foo
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Pat Carroll
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Mrs. Meers
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Anne L. Nathan
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Miss Flannery
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Tonya Pinkins
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Muzzy
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Randl Ask
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Taxi Driver/Anniversary Husband
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Megan Sikora
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Judith Tremayne
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Kate Baldwin
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Cecilia Tremayne
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Julie Connors
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Dorothy Parker
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Yusef Millier
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Maitre'D
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Chane't Johnson
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Anniversary Wife
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Zina Camblin
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Ladies' Lounge Attendant
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ENSEMBLE
Randl Ask, Kate Baldwin, Joshua Bergasse, Julie Connors, David Eggers, Nicole Foret, Matthew Gasper, Gregg Goodbrod, Susan Haefner, Chane't Johnson, Joe Langworth, Matt Lashey, Michael Malone, Yusef Millier, Tina Ou, Noah Racey, Megan Sikora, Leigh-Anne Wencker
UNDERSTUDIES
Millie Dilmount - Susan Haefner
Trevor Graydon - Gregg Goodbrod
ACT 1
As the Overture ends, Millie Dillmount, Miss Dorothy Brown, and Ching Ho & Bun Foo each separately appear on the dark, empty stage, but for the single spotlight that shines on them. Each of these characters are from entirely different backgrounds - Millie is a Bible-clutching country girl, Miss Dorothy is a wealthy Californian, and Ching Ho and Bun Foo are brothers from Hong Kong. But they all share the same dream - to move to New York City, where There'll Be Some Changes Made.
Millie arrives in Manhattan and immediately re-invents herself as Thoroughly Modern Millie. While walking back to the Hotel Priscilla one day, she bumps into Jimmy Smith, a young man who advises her to watch out for white slavers - "they're everywhere." Meanwhile, attracted to her at first sight, he invites her to come to a speakeasy called Ma Bell's with him that night.
Scene change to the lobby of the Hotel Priscilla. We see Ching Ho and Bun Foo, accompanied by an old, evil-looking woman wheeling a cart. There is muffled squealing inside the cart and realize that there is a girl trapped inside. Ching Ho and Bun Foo shout alarmedly in Chinese but the woman takes no heed of them, dumping a seditive into the cart to keep the girl quiet.
Hearing someone, the woman, Ching Ho and Bun Foo quickly disappear. Enter Miss Dorothy, the wealthy orphan from California. In a squabble with a cheating cabbie, Millie comes to the rescue and pays the girl's fare. They immediately become friends, and Millie tells Miss Dorothy of her mission: to get a job as a secretary (she types 40 words a minute, shorthand too, and is self-taught, being from Salina, Kansas) and marry her wealthy boss, whomever he may be. Miss Dorothy's dream is to become an actress on the stage, and she insists that she must conduct a character study on Millie - "the theatre today is full of ruthless women." The old woman re-enters, and we find that she is the owner of the hotel, Mrs. Meers. While asking some pointed questions about Miss Dorothy's background (and discovering that she is an orphan), she gives her the room next to Millie's, which Millie is surprised to hear was recently vacated by Ethel Peas. Puzzled by Mrs. Meers' manners, Millie leads Miss Dorothy to the elevator.
On the elevator, Millie begins tapdancing, seemingly out of nowhere, and explains that some showgirls used to practice routines in the elevator and "did something to the machinery." Millie and Miss Dorothy tap their way up to the twelfth floor: Stumbling. Thanking Millie for all her help, Miss Dorothy asks her if she'd like to lunch with her the next day; Millie says that she will be "boss-hunting" by then.
The next day, Millie arrives at the Sincere Trust Insurance Company. After being hounded by an unpleasant receptionist by the name of Miss Flannery, Millie meets Prospective Boss #1 - the good-looking and stalwart Mr. Trevor Graydon III, who asks her to take a shorthand dictation and typing test: The Speed Test. Impressed with her efficientness, he hires her.
Back at the Hotel Priscilla, Mrs. Meers calls a cohort of hers in the white slavery business - first confirming the "reception" of Ethel Peas who we learn was really sold into white slavery, and then offering him first dibs on "a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity", Miss Dorothy Brown. After finishing the call, Mrs. Meers goes up to Miss Dorothy's room, calling out "room service!" with a sedative in hand. Right before she pounces, Millie enters, ecstatic because of her new job. She asks what Mrs. Meers has in her hand, and she hurriedly explains that Bun Foo had a nasty spot on his jacket so she had to clean it - with soy sauce - to which Millie replys, "Who knew?" Miss Dorothy comes out of her room to join Millie for a night on the town, and before they leave, Millie repeats the advice Jimmy gave her when she first came to town.
Miss Dorothy and Millie arrive at the address of Ma Bell's - they see no trace of it at the address, only a pharmacy. Suddenly, Jimmy comes out of a telephone box - Millie introduces Miss Dorothy to him, and Jimmy brings them into Ma Bell's through a secret passageway: One Manhattan Straight Up. Inside, the speakeasy is packed with hard-partiers and drinkers.
Afterwards, Millie and Jimmy take a walk on the streets of Manhattan. Jimmy boasts of his experiences in jail ("the slammer draws a colorful crowd") after a raid on a speakeasy. They talk about what it was like to live outside of the City (Jimmy having lived on Long Island for 18 years), and both are obviously attracted to each other. Millie tells him, however, that she is planning on marrying her boss, though she just met him. She asks Jimmy his occupation, hoping that she become his stenographer instead and marry him, but Jimmy says that he is unemployed - which makes him ineligible in Millie's eyes. Nevertheless, Jimmy attempts to win her over, You Can Count On Me, and they reach a deal - Millie will temporarily suspend her "Marry-the-Boss" plan if Jimmy gets a job within a week, and she will see him again on Saturday night with Miss Dorothy. Millie is about to ask about why he wants Miss Dorothy there, but she realizes that she is late for work and hurries to the Sincere Trust offices.
At the office, Miss Flannery is furious with Millie for her tardiness and attire: she is in violation of the dress code three times over, she says - "bare arms, short skirt, fringe!" She calls for Mr. Graydon to further chastize and embarass Millie on her dress, but when Trevor arrives he ignores Flannery, literally wheeling her off-stage, and asks Millie to come aside to have a word with him in private. Alone together, Trevor showers Millie with compliments, saying that she caught his eye from the moment that "you dove into our typing pool." Suddenly, Trevor kneels before Millie - fearing the worst, Millie begs him to ask her later - Trevor answers that "a man's gotta say what a man's gotta say when a man's gotta say it," and asks: "will you be my -- private secretary?" Relieved, Millie accepts, and Trevor is ecstatic.
Back at the Hotel Priscilla, Miss Dorothy is reading a scene in preparation for an audition, unaware that she is being watched. Mrs. Meers approaches her door with a drugged California apple, ignoring the loud protests in Chinese from Ching Ho and Bun Foo who realize what she is doing. Mrs. Meers offers Miss Dorothy the apple which she is about to bite when suddenly Millie enters, crying, "Don't, Miss Dorothy!", explaining later that she doesn't want her to have a spoiled appetite that evening. Miss Dorothy has plans, but she will share a taxi with Millie. Mrs. Meers is furious that her plan has been foiled yet again, albeit unintentionally, by Millie, and mumbling under her breath takes the apple away. Millie and Miss Dorothy head to the elevator together, and Ching Ho and Bun Foo come running after them, shouting in Chinese, trying to warn Miss Dorothy about Mrs. Meers' evil plans. Completely unaware of what they are talking about, Miss Dorothy replies, "No need to fuss - of course I'll hold the elevator for you!" On the elevator, she is aware of Ching Ho's attraction to her, and wishes they could understand a common language: Stumbling Reprise.
Jimmy and Millie meet at 6:15 that evening as planned, and Millie tells Jimmy about a job at Sincere Trust as a stockboy. Jimmy asks if Trevor has made any advances yet - "any nicknames?" "John," Millie replies, "because I'm so efficient." Jimmy brings her to the famous singer Muzzy Van Hosmeer's chic penthouse, explaining that his father was her gardener. Muzzy entertains a small party of the elite of New York in her home: Then What, Baby? - the opposite of the crowd at the speakeasy. Jimmy introduces Millie to Muzzy afterwards - Muzzy is enchanted and makes Millie feel at home, telling her that she wants to know more about the girl "who has made such an impression on Jimmy," and about her late husband. She tells Millie that she wasn't a New York native either - she's from Maryland - and that it takes "nerve and imagination" to come here from parts unknown. Deeply involved in the conversation, Millie accidentally spills champagne on Dorothy Parker, who explodes in fury. Millie, remembering Mrs. Meers cleaning Bun Foo's jacket, runs for the soy sauce.
Later, Millie is hiding outside the party, horribly embarassed about her unfortunate episode with the soy sauce and Dorothy Parker. Jimmy eases her fears by telling her that Parker is "so plastered she'll never remember your name." Millie is relieved, and returns to the subject of Jimmy's job and asks him to come in for an interview with Mr. Graydon, which makes Jimmy very uncomfortable. He says he will be busy for the foreseeable future and can't go in to speak with Graydon face-to-face, to which Millie says that "it's over." Jimmy vows to get a job his own way, and runs off into the night, shouting after him, "I love you!" Millie admits to herself that she is enamored with Jimmy, but cannot tell him. Dreamily, she walks back to the Hotel Priscilla with her mind on Jimmy - but when she arrives at the Hotel Priscilla she sees Miss Dorothy and Jimmy alone speaking in hushed tones outside Miss Dorothy's door. "Remember, it's our little secret," Jimmy cautions - the reply is "But she's my friend!" Jimmy kisses "Dorothy" on the cheek and leaves - we see Millie in total shock as the curtain falls on Act One.
ACT 2
The Entr'acte plays, and then the second act opens at Sincere Trust's offices. Millie enters, late for work once again, and Miss Flannery deducts from her paycheck for her tardiness. Before she has time to negotiate, the phone rings; it is Jimmy - giving him a short reply of "I have work to do, I presume you have work to do, do it and leave me alone." He calls her again, to which, after hanging up, Millie screams, "I never want to see Jimmy Smith again!" Miss Flannery replies, "Good. Forget the boy, Dillmount. Get yourself a canary," kicking off Millie's song of independence, Forget About The Boy, during which the other girls at work rally behind her, each furious with their own significant others.
Trevor enters, instantly breaking up the little female bonding party and sending everyone back to work. He pulls his private secretary, Millie, aside (and begins referring to her solely as "John") to discuss business matters. But now that Jimmy is out of the way, Millie begins to implement her plan and attempts to seduce him. Trevor is extremely puzzled, having no idea what she is doing, but is made rather uncomfortable and makes an abrupt exit when the phone rings. Jimmy comes in, announcing that he has a job, and Millie, incredulous, attempts to kick him out, to no avail. Miss Flannery comes in and unexpectedly defends Millie and Jimmy is forced to leave. Miss Dorothy enters, distraught that Millie - her only and best friend - is obviously avoiding her, and asks what she has done. Millie, realizing that she had told Miss Dorothy that she was after Mr. Graydon at the start, forgives her and they make up. Miss Dorothy relaxes a bit, and then tells Millie that her career on the stage is not going at all as planned, and that nobody will cast her. Millie tells her that a new look is all she needs, and suggests that she bob her hair. Just then, Trevor yells from the next room for Millie to set up an appointment for him at a local handball court. He comes into the room, still talking, and stops mid-sentence when he sees Miss Dorothy. Both of them fall in love with each other at first sight: I'm Falling In Love With Someone. Millie introduces them and says that they are going out to bob Miss Dorothy's hair; Mr. Graydon is aghast ("You wouldn't want to rob some lucky stiff of playing with those adorable curls, would you?") and is practically oblivious to Millie's presence. He asks Miss Dorothy to dinner, to which she accepts. She leaves, and Trevor is positively giddy - Millie has never seen him like this before. He has Millie make a reservation at the Plaza and order a bouquet of flowers for Miss Dorothy, and leaves the room. Dejected, Millie climbs out onto the ledge of her office window: One Manhattan, Straight Up Reprise. Before she can do anything rash, Jimmy peaks out the window - "Employee's lounge?" He climbs out onto the ledge with her, and attempts to win her over again. Millie tells him that she is resigning now that Trevor is no longer an eligible bachelor - and that he has fallen for Miss Dorothy. Realizing that Miss Dorothy is no longer in the way, she forgives Jimmy, but says that she is "looking for a butter-and-egg man, not a butterfly boy," to which Jimmy responds that wealth may not always buy true love and happiness: Say That. They make plans to go out to dinner at Muzzy's new cafe that night to celebrate Jimmy's new job; as Millie says, "We'll pool what little money we have together and blow it all on one memorable meal - and if I don't eat again for a month, who cares!" Trevor calls from inside, and Millie starts to go back inside - but not before Jimmy confirms that they are still on for that night. Jimmy, Millie, Trevor, Miss Dorothy (and Ching Ho, who seemingly pops out of nowhere) each reflect on the romantic happenings of the past few hours: I'm Falling In Love With Someone Reprise.
Meanwhile, back at the Hotel Priscilla, Mrs. Meers is again attempting to kidnap Miss Dorothy, and once again, Ching Ho and Bun Foo try frantically to get her to stop by shouting at her in Chinese. Mrs. Meers, knowing exactly what they are trying to get her to do, delivers an ultimatum: Miss Dorothy, or their Muqin, causing Ching Ho and Bun Foo sing a show-stopping Chinese version of the Jolsonesque ode to their "Mammy."
Jimmy and Millie's dinner did not go as planned - both of them went overboard, came up short and ended up needing to work at the restaurant for the rest of the night to pay for their bill. Jimmy accidentally lets on that he knows that Miss Dorothy and Mr. Graydon are in the Candlelit Room at the Plaza, and Millie, infuriated and assuming the worst again, cries impulsively, "I know all about you and Miss Dorothy!" Jimmy tries to defend himself, but Millie won't speak to him. Resigned that Millie won't love him, he sings the Say That Reprise.
Outside, Muzzy is entertaining the patrons with a rousing rendition of Jazz Baby. After her number, she goes backstage and finds Millie, obviously in need of a private heart-to-heart for equally obvious reasons. "Jimmy?" "Who else? Empty pockets and a roving eye." Muzzy assures Millie that she knows Jimmy's intentions are good and he has his eye is only on her, and that things are not always what they seem. Then she tells Millie a story about how she met the late Mr. Van Hosmeer, and didn't even know he was wealthy at all before agreeing to marry him - she was in love with him because he was a wonderful man, not because he was rich. She goes back out to perform another number, and Millie decides at that moment to follow her heart and be with her true love, Gimme, Gimme despite his poverty.
In the Candlelit Room, we find Trevor, seated alone at his "quiet, corner table for two," miserable and drunk, singing the first few lines of I'm Falling In Love With Someone to himself, so loudly that he disturbs another couple nearby and they storm out. Millie finds him there and is alarmed at his behavior: "Double negative! Mr. Graydon, what's happened to you?!" Jimmy enters, and Trevor tells them that he went to the Hotel Priscilla to call on Miss Dorothy and was told that she had checked out, without a forwarding address or any contact information. Jimmy and Millie both agree that something is very wrong - Miss Dorothy hadn't told anyone that she was planning to leave. Millie recalls that the girl who had Miss Dorothy's room previously, Ethel Peas, also disappeared quite suddenly, and there were several other girls from the Hotel Priscilla that all disappeared suddenly without saying a word; she realizes that none of them were known to have any family or friends. Millie remembers Mrs. Meers' most frequently used expression: "Sad to be all alone in the world," and Trevor reaches a horrible conclusion: "White slavery! ...If a girl is all alone in the world and she checks out, who is to question her fate?" Jimmy rushes to call the police but Trevor stops him, saying they must do nothing to arouse the suspicions of Mrs. Meers. They must use a temporary orphan as bait for Mrs. Meers to catch her in the act - while none of them fit the profile, Trevor and Jimmy both being men and Millie's family being known to Mrs. Meers, Millie says she knows exactly who would fit the profile...
Back in the lobby of the Hotel Priscilla, Mrs. Meers is reading the newspaper when a disguised Muzzy walks in, introduces herself as "Zazu Rosie Schedmin" and asks for a room. She tells Mrs. Meers that she is a young lady and that "I don't know a soul anywhere!" and Mrs. Meers takes the bait, albeit with some humorous quips about how old "Zazu" looks. Mrs. Meers gives Zazu a drugged apple, and she faints after taking it. She calls up her cohort to let her know that she has a new girl, and calls for Ching Ho and Bun Foo to assist her in bringing Zazu in the cart to the back room to be prepared to be sent off to Hong Kong.
Once in the back room, Mrs. Meers demands to know where Ching Ho is, but Bun Foo doesn't respond, still seemingly completely incapable of speaking English. She picks up the newspaper and tries to begin reading again. The news item she was reading previously was about the "unknown assailant covered Dorothy Parker's gown in soy sauce, at the glamorous penthouse of Mrs. Muzzy Van Hosmeer." She instantly notes the similarities in the two unusual names and pulls Muzzy out of the cart, demanding to know what she is doing. Before she can attack her, however, Millie, Jimmy and Trevor all jump out of another laundry cart, Millie having transcribed every single word that Mrs. Meers has said. They demand to have Miss Dorothy returned, or else they will have Meers jailed. Mrs. Meers responds that they only have mere hearsay to go on and asks, "Where is the proof?" Bun Foo seemingly appears out of nowhere at this moment, for the first time letting on that he can speak English: "Proof in Hong Kong!" He declares that she has earned fortunes from selling Miss Dorothy. Mrs. Meers threatens him with the everlasting "Miss Dorothy or Mama" ultimatum, but Bun Foo snaps back, "You li-ar! You don't bring our Ma over! Me English better than you Chinese!" Desperately, Mrs. Meers tells them that it is too late to do anything because the boat has already sailed. Then Miss Dorothy suddenly appears, in the arms of Ching Ho much to Trevor's dismay (second I'm Falling In Love With Someone Reprise). Miss Dorothy tells Trevor that their relationship was only puppy love and that Ching Ho saved her life. The room erupts into chaos, and suddenly Miss Dorothy realizes that Mrs. Meers is missing, causing even more confusion in the room. Jimmy quiets everyone and declares that with Muzzy's connections they will definitely find Meers and all of the girls that were sold into white slavery. "She'll never get away," he begins, "and neither will you, Millie, not if I can help it. Will you marry me, poor as I am?" Millie accepts sincerely, and Muzzy, Jimmy and Miss Dorothy confess all to her: Jimmy and Miss Dorothy are both Muzzy's very wealthy stepchildren (thus, siblings), and Jimmy is Vice President of Van Hosmeer Worldwide Enterprises. In explanation, Muzzy tells Millie, "I sent the children out into the real world with twenty-five dollars each, in the high hopes that they'd come back with truly, truly sweet partners." Millie, laughing, observes, "I guess you already have a stenog," and Trevor interjects that Millie is one of them, Sincere Trust being owned by Van Hosmeer Enterprises; being drunk the night before, when he first saw Jimmy face to face he hadn't been able to identify him.
"So ya see, snookums, you can marry the boss after all," Muzzy says lovingly. Millie and Jimmy are blissfully indifferent at this Finale, and it is the ultimate happy ending - everybody has somebody, including Trevor, who has just found his newest private secretary in the fifty-words-per-minute typist Bun Foo.
(Taken From The Unofficial Thoroughly Modern Millie Fan Website)
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SONG LIST
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ACT 1
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ACT 2
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Overture
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Entr'acte
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There'll Be Some Changes Made
(Millie, Miss Dorothy, Ching Ho, Bun Foo)
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Forget About The Boy
(Miss Flannery & Millie)
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Thoroughly Modern Millie
(Millie)
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I'm Falling In Love With Someone
(Trevor Graydon & Miss Dorothy)
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Stumbling
(Millie & Miss Dorothy)
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One Manhattan, Straight Up (Reprise)
(Millie)
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The Speed Test
(Trevor Graydon and Millie)
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Say That
(Jimmy)
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One Manhattan Straight Up
(Jimmy, Millie, Miss Dorothy)
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I'm Falling In Love With Someone (Reprise)
(Jimmy, Millie, Trevor Graydon, Miss Dorothy, Ching Ho)
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You Can Count On Me
(Jimmy)
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Muqin
(Miss Meers)
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Stumbling (Reprise)
(Miss Dorothy, Ching Ho)
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Say That (Reprise)
(Jimmy)
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Then What, Baby?
(Muzzy)
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Jazz Baby
(Muzzy)
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Jimmy
(Millie)
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Gimme, Gimme
(Millie)
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I'm Falling In Love With Someone (2nd Reprise)
(Trevor Graydon)
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Finale
(Company)
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