Forget about the boy, when a small town girl searches for a new life in the bright lights of 1920s New York City, where the hair is short and so are the dresses that sparkle and flap, well just about anything can happen and does! “Thoroughly Modern Millie” takes audiences back to the roaring 20’s in style!
Genesius Theatrical Teen Company is performing that thoroughly modern musical “Thoroughly Modern Mille”. Each year at this time the Genesius Teen Theatre Company, usually performs what we used to call our Junior Show, but this new batch of Genesus Teens are all grown up and so very talented that they are presenting the full version of the show, not an abbreviated version of the musical.
“…Millie”, the stage musical, is based off the original motion picture starring Julie Andrews! The musical has New Lyrics by Dick Scanlin, New Music by Jeanine Tesori, with a book by Richard Henry Morris and Dick Scanlin. The original story and screenplay is by Richard Morris for the Universal Pictures Film.
The winner of six Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Thoroughly Modern Millie was the 2002 season’s most awarded new show on Broadway! Based on the 1967 Academy Award-winning film, Thoroughly Modern Millie takes you back to the height of the Jazz Age in New York City, when “moderns,” including a flapper named Millie Dillmount, were bobbing their hair, raising their hemlines, entering the workforce and rewriting the rules of love. This high-spirited musical romp is a delightful valentine to the long-standing spirit of New York City and the people who seek to discover themselves there.
Set in New York City in 1922, Thoroughly Modern Millie tells the story of young Millie Dillmount from Kansas, who comes to New York in search of a new life for herself. Her grand plan is to find a job as a secretary for a wealthy man and then marry him. However, her plan goes completely awry. The owner of her dingy hotel kidnaps young girls to sell to the Far East, her wealthy boss is slow in proposing marriage and the man she actually falls in love with doesn’t have a dime to his name… or so he tells her.
Filled with frisky flappers, dashing leading men and a dragon lady of a villainess that audiences will love to hate, Thoroughly Modern Millie is a perfectly constructed evening of madcap merriment. From explosive tap numbers to a “Fred and Ginger” routine on a window ledge, this is the perfect show for theatres that are looking to show off the dance skills of their performers. In Millie Dillmount, musical theatre has found a new heroine for the ages in Thoroughly Modern Millie!
The Genesius production is directed by husband and wife team Joey Moray and Kelly Kantner Moray, music directed by Emily Snyder, choreographed by Rosanna Pereira. Set design by John Bigos, light design by Zack Spadaccia, costume design by Cynthia Kantner, hair/makeup design by, Kim Siegel of United Artist Salon and sound design by Albert Garcia of Eko Entertainment, LLC. The set, is constructed by John Bigos and Betty Gerstner with scenic art by Marjory Ewald. The show is stage managed by our teen stage manager, Katie McKelvey.
The Genesius production features a teen and pre-teen cast from ages 12 to 18. Katherine Lindsley plays the title role of Millie, Ben Daniels is Jimmy Smith, Nicole Simpkins is Dorothy Brown, Ben Jupina is Trevor Graydon, Hannah Mogford is Mrs. Meers, Andrew Bausher is Bun Foo and Roberto Guevara is Ching Ho, Chloe Fererri is Muzzy Van Hossmere and Hunter Willow-Jones is Miss Flannery.
