Overview
Synopsis
It’s 1922, and small-town girl Millie Dillmount has just arrived in New York City, ready to make her dreams come true. Millie’s plan is simple: find a job as a secretary for an eligible bachelor, and then marry him. It doesn’t take long, however, for Millie’s “thoroughly modern” plan to go awry. Her conniving landlady plots to kidnap Millie’s best friend and sell her into slavery in Hong Kong, her wealthy boss seems entirely uninterested in her flirtations, and -- worst of all -- the man with whom she falls head over heels in love doesn’t have a penny to his name. Winner of the 2002 Tony Award for Best Musical, Thoroughly Modern Millie is a bright, funny, and charming musical comedy -- a heartfelt valentine to New York City and the people who love her.
Show Information
- Book
- Richard Morris , Dick Scanlan
- Music
- Jeanine Tesori
- Lyrics
- Dick Scanlan
- Conceived By
- Richard Morris
- Based on the Play/Book/Film
- Thoroughly Modern Millie, 1967 film
- Category
- Musical
- Age Guidance
- Thirteen Plus (PG-13)
- Number of Acts
- 2
- First Produced
- 2002
- Genres
- Comedy, Romance, Historical/Biographical
- Settings
- Multiple Settings
- Time & Place
- 1922, new york
- Cast Size
- large
- Orchestra Size
- Large
- Dancing
- Heavy
- Licensor
- Music Theatre International
- Ideal For
- College/University, Community Theatre, Diverse Cast, High School, Large Cast, Professional Theatre, Regional Theatre, Star Vehicle Female, Mostly Female Cast, Includes Young Adult, Adult, Mature Adult, Late Teen Characters
Context
Before it was a modern musical, Thoroughly Modern Millie was a 1967 film by Richard Morris, starring Julie Andrews, Mary Tyler Moore, and Carol Channing. It was a commercial and critical hit, and was nominated for seven Academy Awards that year.
Over a number of decades, Dick Scanlan, an actor, librettist, and writer, managed to convince Richard Morris to allow him to adapt the film into a musical. Once he received Morris’ approval, Scanlan set to work. In 1999, he brought on composer
to read the context for Thoroughly Modern Millie and to unlock other amazing theatre resources!Plot
Act One
It’s 1922, in New York City, and plucky, perky Millie Dillmount has just arrived from Salina, Kansas. She has stars in her eyes, and is determined to be a success in the big city, boldly tearing her return ticket in two and declaring her dedication to a “modern” life (“Not for the Life of Me”). Bobbing her hair and shortening her skirt to fit the stylish flapper fashion, Millie is swept up in the energy of the big city. Very quickly, though, Millie finds herself stripped of her
to read the plot for Thoroughly Modern Millie and to unlock other amazing theatre resources!Characters
| Name | Part Size | Gender | Vocal Part |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Lead |
Male |
Tenor |
|
|
Lead |
Female |
Mezzo-Soprano |
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
Soprano |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Baritone |
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
Mezzo-Soprano, Alto |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Baritone |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Tenor |
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
Mezzo-Soprano, Alto |
|
|
Featured |
Female |
Mezzo-Soprano |
|
|
Featured |
Female |
Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano, Alto |
|
|
Featured |
Female |
Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano, Alto |
|
|
Featured |
Female |
Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano, Alto |
|
|
Featured |
Female |
Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano, Alto |
|
|
Featured |
Female |
Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano, Alto |
|
|
Featured |
Female |
Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano, Alto |
|
|
Ensemble |
Male |
Baritone |
|
|
Ensemble |
Female |
Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano, Alto |
Songs
Act One
- Overture — Orchestra
- Not for the Life of Me — Millie
- Thoroughly Modern Millie — Millie and Ensemble
- Not for the Life of Me (Tag) — Millie and the Priscilla Girls
- How the Other Half Lives — Millie and Miss Dorothy
- How the Other Half Lives (reprise) - Millie and Miss Dorothy
- Not for the Life of Me (Reprise) — Bun Foo and Ching Ho
- The Speed Test — Trevor Graydon, Millie, Stenographers, Office Singers
- They Don't Know — Mrs. Meers
- *The Nuttycracker Suite
- What Do I Need with Love? - Jimmy
- Only in New York — Muzzy
- Jimmy — Millie
Act Two
- Entr'acte — Orchestra
- Forget About the Boy — Millie, Miss Flannery, Women Office Singers, Stenographers
- Ah! Sweet Mystery of Life/Falling in Love with Someone — Trevor Graydon and Miss Dorothy
- I Turned the Corner/Falling in Love with Someone (Reprise) — Millie, Jimmy, Miss Dorothy, Trevor Graydon
- Muqin — Mrs. Meers, Bun Foo, Ching Ho
- Long as I'm Here with You — Muzzy and Muzzy's Boys
- Gimme Gimme — Millie
- The Speed Test (Reprise) — Millie, Trevor Graydon, Jimmy
- Ah! Sweet Mystery (Reprise) — Miss Dorothy and Ching Ho
- Thoroughly Modern Millie (Reprise) — Company
A song with an asterisk (*) before the title indicates a dance number; a character listed in a song with an asterisk (*) by the character's name indicates that the character exclusively serves as a dancer in this song, which is sung by other characters.
Monologues
Scenes
Key Terms
A show-stopping song that occurs late in the second half and signifies a lead character's realization, change of heart, or another big moment.
A play, musical, or opera that has been adapted from a written work.
The sequence of steps and movements in dance, also the orchestrated and rehearsed movements for actors, based on the script.
A genre of music developed especially from ragtime and blues and characterized by syncopated rhythms, complex chords, elements of improvisation, and distortions of pitch and timbre.
A production designed especially to show off the talents of a particular performer.
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