Millie Dillmount comes to New York with stars in her eyes and a skirt to her ankles. She quickly realizes that if she is going to make it in Manhattan, she is going to have adapt from her Victorian, rural Kansas ways. So she bobs her hair, shortens her skirt, learns the lingo and the jitterbug.

As Millie is now a modern, she vows not to marry for love, but to marry her rich boss, Mr. Trevor Graydon III; making Millie a positive gold-digger. Along her path to marriage, Millie meets an outrageous, colorful cast of characters: Miss Dorothy Brown from California, who is in New York to become an actress; Jimmy, the blond skirt chaser without a job or direction; Muzzy, a glorious nightclub singer who teaches Millie to put on the Ritz; and Mrs. Meers, the eccentric owner and overseer of Hotel Pricilla, the hotel where Miss Dorothy and Millie are staying

AWARDS! AWARDS! AWARDS!

Adapted from the 1967 Oscar wining film starring Julie Andrews, Mary Tyler Moore and Carol Channing, most notably, "Millie" won six Tony Awards in 2002: Best Musical, Best Choreography, Best Orchestrations and Best Costume Design, Best Actress and Best Featured Actress in a musical for the Broadway production (which closed in June 2004).

The stage version of "Millie" features 15 songs: two from the 1967 movie, four standards from the 1920s and nine new songs by Jeanine Tesori (music) and Dick Scanlan (lyrics).

For a good time, see "Millie"

My sister and I saw the original Julie Andrews productions as little girls. It must have been one of those nights when our parents went out, we made a pizza and sat in the living room gorging ourselves on old movies.

I remember being enthralled with the strong female characters who could work, dance, sing, look fabulous and get the guy. Then, a couple years ago, I saw "Millie" in London’s West End. When I heard that the Milwaukee Theatre was presenting the touring production, I was skeptical. In my experience, even the bad plays I saw in London have been better than most touring plays I have seen in Milwaukee.

Alas, my sister skipped most of the 12 blocks to the theater; and much to the chagrin of other pedestrians, sang most of the way back home.

There were two unforgettable moments in the performance for me:

1. "The Speed Test." This is an incredible scene full of tap dancing, typing and orange stockings. A true test of the singer’s ability not to be tongue-tied, and a colorful scene!

2. The performance of "Gimmie Gimmie." The song was perfect for Millie, and she truly shined. Millie, all alone on stage wearing a red dress, finally realizes her real, deep down feelings on love instead of what the "modern view" on love and marriage is supposed to be. In fact, I would call this song the climax of the plot.

All together, I had a wonderful experience being in the audience at "Millie." It was upbeat, energetic, the cast looked as though they were having a great time on stage. I was on my feet applauding at the end of the show.

OTHER STUFF

After "Millie" closes in Milwaukee, the national tour moves to Louisville. For more information on "Millie," visit www.milwaukeetheatre.com or www.modernmillie.com.

Photos courtesy of Joan Marcus
Ducky Dialogue from the Roaring Twenties

The flapper sub-culture was extremely influential, and many words and phrases coined by these modern women during the Jazz Age are still used today. Here’s a brief list of some fun flapper slang.

A
all wet: wrong, mistaken
applesauce: sweet talk, gibberish, i.e. "Aw, applesauce!"
Attaboy!: Good going! (also, Attagirl!)

B
baby: darling, sweetie
balled up: puzzled, bewildered
beat it: get away, leave
bee’s knees: great, terrific, wonderful
beef: complaint or grievance
big cheese: very important person
bird: term for a man or woman
blow: to leave
bootleg: illegal liquor
bull: 1) any law enforcement official 2) drivel, hot air

C
cat’s meow: excellent, terrific
cheaters: eye glasses
ciggy: cigarette
clam: a dollar
copacetic: great, unflappable, just dandy
crush: an infatuation

D
daddy: a young woman’s beau, especially if he’s rich
dame: woman
dick: private investigator
dogs: feet
doll: a good-looking woman
dolled up: dressed to the nines
dope: drugs
doublecross: to stab in the back, to betray
dough: money
ducky: great, wonderful

E
earful: enough, sufficient
edge: intoxication, a buzz
egg: a person who lives large

F
fag: cigarette
fella: man
fish: 1) college freshman 2) first-timer in prison
fly boy: a romanticized term for a pilot
frame: to give false evidence, to set up
fried: drunk

G
gams: a woman’s legs
gay: happy, joyful (no homosexual connotation)
get-up: an outfit
get in a lather: to get upset, worked up
gold-digger: a woman who’s after a man for his money
goofy: in love

H
hair of the dog: a shot of alcohol
heebie-jeebies: the creeps, the shakes (from a popular song)
high hat: snob
hooch: bootleg liquor
hood: ruffian, a thug
Hot dawg!: Great! Wonderful!

I
icy mitt: rejection, dismissal
insured: engaged
ish kabibble: an angry reply, i.e. "Like I care!"

J
jalopy: an old car
java: coffee
joint: club, bar
john: toilet

K
keen: pleasing, appealing
killjoy: spoilsport
kisser: mouth
knocked up: to become pregnant

L
lay off: cut it out, leave me alone
level with me: be straightforward, be truthful
live wire: an energetic person

M
moonshine: homemade whiskey
moll: a mobster’s girlfriend
mop: handkerchief

N
neck: to kiss passionately
nifty: superb, tremendous
nookie: sex

O
old boy: term of address or greeting, i.e. "How are things, old boy?"
on the lam: to hide from the police
on the up and up: honest, trustworthy

P
pet: to make out
pill: an unpleasant person
pinched: to be arrested
pushover: easy prey, sucker
putting on the Ritz: chic, in high style

R
rag-a-muffin: an unkempt person
razz: to tease
Real McCoy: the real deal, authentic
rubes: money
rummy: a drunk

S
sap: a dim-witted person
screwy: crazy
shiv: knife
skirt: a pretty woman
speakeasy: a bar which sells bootlegged liquor
spill: to tell all
swanky: posh, classy
swell: super, fantastic

T
tasty: likable, enjoyable
tight: eye-catching, appealing
torpedo: a hired gun

U
upchuck: to throw up
upstage: to show someone up

V
vamp: seducer, flirt

W
wet blanket: spoilsport
What’s eating you?: What’s the matter?
whoopee: to have fun

Y
You slay me!: You’re so funny! That was hilarious!

"Thoroughly Modern Millie"
The Milwaukee Theater
500 W. Kilbourn Ave.
Milwaukee, WI 53203
Box Office: (414) 908-6001
Runs March 15-20, 2005
Showtimes vary; visit www.milwaukeetheatre.com

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