Thoroughly Modern Millie: Thoroughly Great Fun
Friday C-- and I went to see Stage 1 Theatre's production of Thoroughly Modern Millie. C-- has a connection to the group, but I'd never heard of them before this. After our last show viewing together, I went in with very low expectations. The run-down school theatre in Newark where they perform didn't raise them any. And maybe it was that relaxed mood of: "Okay, so impress me, already!" but this show exceeded my expectations in a big way.
Okay, so maybe it wasn't the platonic ideal theatre experience, but it was darn close to my platonic ideal for community theatre. The thing about community theatre is that you have to make trade offs somewhere. There just isn't enough time, money or volunteer power to do everything at the very highest quality. This isn't Broadway. You have to pick and choose your battles.
For example, when handing out programs, we were asked if we'd be willing to share one. We were. They also had an usher at the end with a box, collecting programs for reuse. So, clearly they were pinching pennies. It was done gracefully and unobtrusively.
But they didn't stint on enthusiasm. As is customary for these things, we had a before curtain speech from someone on the board of directors. They are often duller than ditchwater, announcements about upcoming shows, fundraising initiatives, and a reminder to turn off cell phones and other offensive noisemakers. The contents of the speech were the same, but the guy from the board was so effervescent, he set the tone well for the rest of the show.
The musical is (loosely) based on the movie of the same name starring Julie Andrews. There are significant changes to the plot, however, and the characters are emphasized somewhat differently. Yes, the production suffered from some technical defects (what is it about follow spot operators who can't follow cues?) but overall, there was no technical defect so glaring it pulled attention from the story, which is exactly as it should be. The microphones all worked and were leveled beautifully. The focus stayed on the actors, who did very serviceable, and in some cases, exemplary work with their singing and acting. I particularly want to call out TK Armstrong (Bun Foo) and Leon Eng (Ching Ho) who were not only hilarious with their comedic delivery and well-sold musical numbers, but managed to play it all in cantonese without losing anything in translation. (They had supertitles to translate, but you really didn't need them.)
Like "9 to 5", the chorus of "Millie" was full of mediocre dancers. However, unlike "9 to 5", the choreographer really knew how to use them to their best potential. They were well rehearsed, full of life and good facial expressions. Likewise, though some of the lead performers may have missed nuances of their character I'd have liked to see played up better, nobody was holding back. I always prefer to see an actor missing something because they haven't learned that lesson yet than a polished professional phoning in their performance because they've done it all before and can't be arsed.
So, overall, I liked the show, I loved the experience, and am a bit jealous of C-- getting to perform with them in the fall. I'll be sure to go see her in their next production.
However, if I were to suggest improvements, here they are, though all of them were slight enough not to interfere with the main point of theatre: telling a story well.
- I'd have liked a little more romantic tension/connection between characters in romantic plotlines. Everyone was very friendly, but I didn't feel any of the push-pull of real romantic spark. You can't manufacture "chemistry" but it would have been nice to see a little more of it.
- When did the fashion for bike shorts under dresses instead of dance pants start? I think it's horrible. And if you're going to put your chorus in cream and ecru dresses and put black bike shorts underneath, don't compound the error by slitting side seams up to the hips. Either put them in nude color bike shorts, or color coordinated dance pants (a.k.a. spankies) or sew up a bunch of period looking directoire knickers, m'kay?
- To the actress who played Muzzy Van Hossmere: yes, I know that not everybody can be Carol Channing. (Ryan Stiles does a pretty good Carol Channing, though. As does Pandora Boxx. But it's a knack. Either you can be Carol Channing or you can't.) So, if you are nothing like Carol Channing, yes, I agree that to play her role as though you were Carol Channing would be a mistake. But, if you are playing a character whose turning point is a moment of seriousness about what matters in life, and the rest of your scenes are played with similar brooding melancholy, rather than the high spirited fun-loving energy of the roaring '20's, your big dramatic moment is going to be lost against the background of "more-of-the-same". Also, you will be boring to watch if everything is hammered on one emotional note all the time. Find a way to bring the joie de vivre and larkiness of your part to life in your own way, so that your quiet moment in the second act really means something.
- And, whoever was working that follow spot: PAY ATTENTION!!!
Otherwise, damn fine show. I now eagerly look forward to seeing other productions at Stage 1 Theatre in Newark.
Okay, so maybe it wasn't the platonic ideal theatre experience, but it was darn close to my platonic ideal for community theatre. The thing about community theatre is that you have to make trade offs somewhere. There just isn't enough time, money or volunteer power to do everything at the very highest quality. This isn't Broadway. You have to pick and choose your battles.
For example, when handing out programs, we were asked if we'd be willing to share one. We were. They also had an usher at the end with a box, collecting programs for reuse. So, clearly they were pinching pennies. It was done gracefully and unobtrusively.
But they didn't stint on enthusiasm. As is customary for these things, we had a before curtain speech from someone on the board of directors. They are often duller than ditchwater, announcements about upcoming shows, fundraising initiatives, and a reminder to turn off cell phones and other offensive noisemakers. The contents of the speech were the same, but the guy from the board was so effervescent, he set the tone well for the rest of the show.
The musical is (loosely) based on the movie of the same name starring Julie Andrews. There are significant changes to the plot, however, and the characters are emphasized somewhat differently. Yes, the production suffered from some technical defects (what is it about follow spot operators who can't follow cues?) but overall, there was no technical defect so glaring it pulled attention from the story, which is exactly as it should be. The microphones all worked and were leveled beautifully. The focus stayed on the actors, who did very serviceable, and in some cases, exemplary work with their singing and acting. I particularly want to call out TK Armstrong (Bun Foo) and Leon Eng (Ching Ho) who were not only hilarious with their comedic delivery and well-sold musical numbers, but managed to play it all in cantonese without losing anything in translation. (They had supertitles to translate, but you really didn't need them.)
Like "9 to 5", the chorus of "Millie" was full of mediocre dancers. However, unlike "9 to 5", the choreographer really knew how to use them to their best potential. They were well rehearsed, full of life and good facial expressions. Likewise, though some of the lead performers may have missed nuances of their character I'd have liked to see played up better, nobody was holding back. I always prefer to see an actor missing something because they haven't learned that lesson yet than a polished professional phoning in their performance because they've done it all before and can't be arsed.
So, overall, I liked the show, I loved the experience, and am a bit jealous of C-- getting to perform with them in the fall. I'll be sure to go see her in their next production.
However, if I were to suggest improvements, here they are, though all of them were slight enough not to interfere with the main point of theatre: telling a story well.
- I'd have liked a little more romantic tension/connection between characters in romantic plotlines. Everyone was very friendly, but I didn't feel any of the push-pull of real romantic spark. You can't manufacture "chemistry" but it would have been nice to see a little more of it.
- When did the fashion for bike shorts under dresses instead of dance pants start? I think it's horrible. And if you're going to put your chorus in cream and ecru dresses and put black bike shorts underneath, don't compound the error by slitting side seams up to the hips. Either put them in nude color bike shorts, or color coordinated dance pants (a.k.a. spankies) or sew up a bunch of period looking directoire knickers, m'kay?
- To the actress who played Muzzy Van Hossmere: yes, I know that not everybody can be Carol Channing. (Ryan Stiles does a pretty good Carol Channing, though. As does Pandora Boxx. But it's a knack. Either you can be Carol Channing or you can't.) So, if you are nothing like Carol Channing, yes, I agree that to play her role as though you were Carol Channing would be a mistake. But, if you are playing a character whose turning point is a moment of seriousness about what matters in life, and the rest of your scenes are played with similar brooding melancholy, rather than the high spirited fun-loving energy of the roaring '20's, your big dramatic moment is going to be lost against the background of "more-of-the-same". Also, you will be boring to watch if everything is hammered on one emotional note all the time. Find a way to bring the joie de vivre and larkiness of your part to life in your own way, so that your quiet moment in the second act really means something.
- And, whoever was working that follow spot: PAY ATTENTION!!!
Otherwise, damn fine show. I now eagerly look forward to seeing other productions at Stage 1 Theatre in Newark.