Charlestoning with Clitherow, Clarke and Crumpler

This is 1922, and Millie Dillmount (Charlotte Clitherow) is a modern woman, meaning she only wants one thing from her relocation to New York: to marry a man with money. She moves to the city with short hair and high expectations, a light step and a heavy suitcase, but when she is mugged on her first day in the city and she starts to question if she really is strong enough for the life she’s chosen. The ever-fickle New York, New York continues to put obstacles in her way, including the impoverished Jimmy Smith (Alex Welsh) with whom she can’t seem to avoid spending time, and a faux-Asian landlord who is selling girls just like her into Chinese ‘white slavery’.

Musical Theatre Warwick takes its audience on a hilarious romp through Prohibition New York in this musical pastiche, and it would be impossible not to have a good time bopping along to the beat. The live band started off a little pitchy and lacklustre but quickly warmed up into the swing of the lively, jazzy score. Both male and female choruses were enigmatic and energetic, performing fast choreography effortlessly and making group numbers such as ‘The Speed Test’ and ‘Forget About the Boy’ a real highlight of the show. Their harmonies and timings were consistently perfect and their expressiveness propelled the show forward. It was clear that an incredible amount of rehearsal must have gone in to make group routines and songs so impressively sharp. Choreographer Jack Pusey is to be commended for the captivating dance numbers he has put together, blending Charleston and tap into routines that had flair and excitement in abundance.

With the strength of that kind of performance so high in these musical numbers, the scenes supported by acting alone often fell flat in comparison. Although Katie Lambert stole the show with her alarmingly natural portrayal of the evil human trafficker cum landlord Mrs Meers (née Daisy Crumpler), both Clitherow and Welsh’s acting and singing occasionally felt a little thin or unsupported, and the show lacked the strong leads it needed to truly cohere. Although the story of the relationship was told in a touching and authentic way, the duets and solos that accompanied it appeared to lack power in comparison to the surrounding group pieces. By contrast Lauren Clarke, playing Millie’s mentor Muzzy van Hossmere, displayed a stunningly rich, professional vocal that ensured her ‘Only in New York’ was the only solo to rival the ensemble numbers.

The cast’s energy was ceaseless and they kept up with the pacey narrative throughout the performance. Every plot point was sharp and interesting, keeping the audience on their (tapping) toes. The production flowed unhesitatingly, with never a moment of doubt, and this was aided by some gorgeous behind the scenes work by the costumes, setting, and props departments. Overall, the production has the happy-go-lucky atmosphere of Broadway matched with the intense work ethic of the MTW members. The show is unquestionably entertaining and musically superb, leaving the audience wanting to clamber onto the stage themselves and join in. Thoroughly Modern Millie is a thoroughly enjoyable rollercoaster ride alongside some confused but loveable characters searching for true love, riches, and excitement, without realising they already have all of the above in each other.