Story in 2 Sentences:
Millie moves to New York in order to marry rich. After stopping a white slavery ring being run by her Chinese landlady, she does.
People who should see this show:
People who like musicals
Ok, there's some light (heavy) racism, and some ridiculous plot elements. But it's all there for humour, and as it actually is funny, I don't mind it.
The singing and dancing are quite well done, and the acting is as realistic as you want farce to be. Shell Piercey knows how to direct a musical. Nothing is over- or under-done, and the cast is up to the challenge of allowing the audience to buy in to the ridiculous nature of the show. The night I went to see it, there were a few mic glitches, and a bonus scene: Diana Kaarina, playing Millie, forgot to change into her tap shoes before a scene they were necessary for. She ran away (with her mic still on), leaving an amused Laura Koberstein and a befuddled Seth Drabinski to cover for her for what must have seemed to them like an eternity. Drakinski's next line happened to be a compliment on Millie's quick pace in walking down the hall, which he noticed only halfway through saying it. After another eternity they got back on track. I love it when stuff like that happens.
The musical itself is well-written: the pace is quick, taking only as much time as necessary for the story to be told; the songs are catchy and evoke the spirit of the times (did they ever really exist?) of flappers, moderns and speakeasies. I was surprised to discover how recently the stage show was written -- it opened on Broadway in 2002. Both the score and the light racism helped to create the effect of a musical written much earlier.
Speaking of which, is it easier or harder to forgive racism when you know the play is less than 10 years old? I can't decide. The plot does hinge on it, but one can just as easily imagine it hinging on a criminal conspiracy involving shipping young women to Italy. . . of course that brings the sexual slave aspect further into the light. Maybe it's best not to look too deeply into this.
See it. It's fun. Bring an asian friend. Plays until August 22.
Some Highlights:
Diana Kaarina's Millie: an engaging performer with an amazing voice, Kaarina has appeared on Broadway and it shows -- she must enjoy being a big fish in a small pond
Meghan Anderssen's Miss Dorothy Brown: scene-stealing, hilarious, with a lovely voice. Her love scene with Drabinski is heaven to watch
Laura Koberstein's Miss Flannery: funny
Aaron Lau's Ching Ho: great voice, great comic love lead, and half of a fun duo
The Subtitles: I love a gimmick like that
Sarah Rodgers' Mrs Meers: Hilarious and quite likeable, given that she's the villain and the centre of the racist plot elements
Nancy Herb's Muzzy Van Hossmere: killer voice and good comic timing
Seth Drabinski's Trevor Grayden: an excellent classical voice, and very funny
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