Thoroughly Enjoyable Show
The Charleston Light Opera Guild’s contribution to FestivALL is their production of the Broadway musical, “Thoroughly Modern Millie.” Based on the 1967 movie, this play is a fun little romp through the Roaring ’20s, complete with flappers, white slavers, and New York high society.
The play begins as Millie Dillmount (Elizabeth Falstreau) arrives in the big city, ready to make it big. Along the way, she devises a plan to marry her boss, meets a gaggle of showgirls, and moves into the Hotel Priscilla. The hotel is run by Mrs. Meers (Linda Barbara Reynolds), who is actually a criminal on the lam, posing as a Chinese woman. I won’t spoil the details of the plot beyond this. This is a fun show with memorable tunes and some wonderful performances.
Elizabeth Falstreau is perfect as the wide-eyed ingenue, Millie. Chris Williams does a great job as her guy pal, Jimmy Smith. Linda Barbara Reynolds steals the show as Mrs. Meers with her memorable song, “They Don’t Know.” Shefica A. Heyliger is great as Muzzy Van Hossmere, who comes off here as sort of a combination of Queen Latifah, Gloria Vanderbilt, and Josephine Baker.
The show also sports a large and talented ensemble who fill out so many roles they make the cast seem three times bigger than it is.
Don’t just take my word for it. Check out the thoroughly modern YouTube clip below.
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