'Millie' is thoroughly delightful

Millie Dillmount is a new arrival in New York City, fresh from a sheltered life in the Midwest in the 1920s. She has minimal illusions about what to expect, and has her mind set on making everything work out for the best in her new surroundings.
Erin Voorhies is in excellent voice as she advises the audience from the outset that she is, indeed, "Thoroughly Modern Millie" in Up in Lights Productions' delightful musical now showing at Loveland's Rialto Theater.

Within the first hour of her arrival in New York however,! Millie has been mugged, lost all of her money, as well as a shoe. Not to worry: She is not about to be deterred. Millie is advised by a well-meaning young man to seek lodging at the Hotel Priscilla, known for housing would-be actresses with limited resources. Millie is not an actress, but plans to work as a secretary and marry a rich boss.

She is not aware that the Priscilla Hotel is actually a front for the white slave trade with the notorious owner, Mrs. Meers, who is not as nice as she'd like her clients to believe. Lee Ann Scherlong is a riot as the menacing and supposedly Asian Meers, who is especially interested in young women with no family connections. Her plan is to drug the young women and ship them off to Asia as part of the white slave trade. She is assisted by two hapless Chinese innocents, Ching Ho and Bun Foo, eager to earn enough money to bring their mother to America. Leo Batlle and Brinn McNally are de! lightful as the two assistants, with their dialogue and musica! l lyrics flashed along the top of the stage in English, as they speak only Chinese.

One of the basic charms of "Thoroughly Modern Millie" is the wonderful air of innocence the show exudes while acknowledging some evil doings going on.

Voorhies is ever-charming as Millie and wins not only the audience, but prospective employer, Trevor Graydon (played by Tom Krebs) in "The Speed Test" a trial of her shorthand and typing abilities.

When not pursuing her boss, Millie's love interest is Jimmy Smith, played by Steffan Scrogan, who is an acting natural with a powerful voice and a complete ease on stage.
Although Voorhies and Scrogan are the primary players, the supporting cast gives them a run for attention. Tom Krebs and Kristi Siedow-Thompson (as Miss Dorothy, a girl living in the hotel) captivate the audience in one of the ev! ening's highlights. It appears to be love at first sight as they make a wild duet in "Ah, Sweet Mystery of Life" and "Falling in Love with Someone." Will it be true love, or will Miss Dorothy actually fall in love with one of Mrs. Meers' Chinese-speaking employees?
Lee Ann Scherlong as Mrs. Meers does some scene stealing on her own, as she and her Chinese assistants provide high hilarity in a version of "Mammy" in Chinese!

The cast is very large and provides excellent singing and dancing. Choreographed by the Up in Lights Director Britni Girard, the tap dancing and Charleston routines are terrific, with one surprise after another as the production remains in high gear throughout.

Jalyn Webb, the show's music director, also appears in a supporting role as Muzzy van Hossmere, a wealthy woman whose past is a tad murky. Some of the show's most poignant moments are when M! uzzy tells of her life, then rocks the auditorium with her ter! rific vo ice.

What's not to like about this production? The set is great. The costumes are terrific. The cast is a wow. Alas, opening night faced problems with the sound system. Sometimes the volume was too high to understand some of the dialogue but the performers' excellent voices don't need the amplification, which was sometimes over powering. Sound problems can be fixed however, leaving the audience with a just plain thoroughly marvelous "Modern Millie."

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