 Servite High, Rosary High, and
Cornelia Connelly School join together to form Anaheim’s Tri-School Theatre
program. Now in their 20th
year, they have brought together a cast and crew of over 100 plus students to
produce this fun, funny and inventively staged musical.
The romantic and zany plot of
Thoroughly Modern Millie has a fresh faced Millie Dillmount arrive in The Big
Apple with a suitcase, little money and a lot of gumption to become "thoroughly
modern." In the course of a few days, she rents a room in a hotel for women,
gets a job, falls for her boss, encounters her true love, befriends a rich star,
and uncovers a white slavery ring. Not
bad for a gal from Salinas, Kansas in 1922; a time when women were entering the
workforce and the rules of love and social behavior were changing forever.
Krista Engle does a fine job of bringing the naive and
yet determined personality of Millie Dillmount to the stage. With solid vocals and tappy shoes, she
embodies the verve of this charming character trying to find her way to a bigger
and better life. She is supported by the
beautiful vocals of Francesca
Carpello in the role of Dorothy Brown, a sweetly innocent debutante  trying
to see How the Other Half Lives.
They become fast friends at the Pricilla Hotel, along with a great
ensemble of wanna-be actresses also seeking their fame and fortune in the big
city.
The guys of the cast are
represented well starting with Tyler
Mercer as the very likable Jimmy Smith who had the uphill battle of getting
love to win out over money. His song What Do I Need With Love was heartfelt
and beautifully sung. Brandon Berg was hilarious as Trevor
Graydon, the confident manly-man who, while impervious to Millie’s flirtatious
assault, becomes a love-struck puppy after falling instantly in love with
Dorothy. Leean Gill was spot-on as Miss
Flannery, the stickler of the steno pool.
Her fabulous make-up brought just the right touch to a great character
who can also double as a linebacker, throwing Jimmy over her shoulder and
carrying him out of the office in a jaw-dropping move that stunned everyone in
attendance.
The audience had many chances to
chuckle, especially with the nefarious Mrs. Meers played by Jenna Brady, a dragon lady  of a
villainess who knows far more about the white slavery trade than she cares to
admit. Her hapless helpers were Sean
Faley as Bun Foo and Karl Abad
as Ching Ho, who was a hoot as the vulnerable shy guy who gets the girl in the
end.
Director Hillary Pearson put together a
well-paced and funny production.
Choreographer Michael Lopez
choreographed some show-stopping numbers beautifully executed by some very
talented dancers, who made some extremely difficult dances seem effortless.
Special kudos go to musical director Anne Vandenberg McCain and sound designer Jeff Thielke who struck a harmonious
chord with perfect balance between a great sounding band and the
vocals.
The set was terrific and was well
organized by amazing stage hands who had the set changes accomplished in very
short order. The costumes were
impeccable and lavish, courtesy of The Theatre Company under the auspices of Dani Everts and Karissa Masciel, the student costume
coordinators.
Overall, a very enjoyable
production of a good old fashioned musical that doubles as a romantic comedy.
Performed April 30 - May 3rd,
2009
Martha Pettit
National Youth Theatre
~ Cast ~
Millie Dillmount: Krista
Engle
Jimmy Smith: Tyler Mercer
Miss Dorothy Brown:
Francesca Carpello
Trevor Graydon: Brandon Berg
Mrs. Meers:
Jenna Brady
Muzzy Van Hossmere: Christine Doidge
Ching Ho:
Karl Abad
Bun Foo: Sean Faley
Miss Flannery: Leean
Gill
Ruth (speakeasy):
Christina
Hernandez
Alice (speakeasy): Amy Northrop
Gloria (speakeasy):
Erin Miller
Lucille: Jessie Gaston
Rita: Shelby
Paul
Cora: Sumayah Ferris
Ethel Peas: Haley
Balthrop
Mary: Amanda Steinfeld
Pearl Lady: Laura
Marcin
The Letch: Tucker Hansen
Policeman: Thomas
Ramos
Daphne: Jessie Shrout
Dexter: Kyle
Alcaino
Dorothy Parker: Jacqueline Cisneros
Kenneth: Andrew
Marino
Mathilda: Amanda Steinfeld
Rodney: Matthew
Galligan
George Gershwin: Anthony De Nicola
Ira Gershwin:
Mykel Jeffrey
New Modern: Alex Lopez
Dishwashers: Diana
Escalante, Erin Dascanio
Party Guests: Erin Cannon, Katie
Fenstermaker, Lauren Holcombe
Lead Singer/Dancers:
Amanda
Brown
Blake Cross
Megan Dutra
Lindsay Forbes
Matthew
Galligan
Tucker Hansen
AJ Hernandez
Victoria Hernandez
John
Kleeh
Anthony Lee
Laura Marcin
Sean McGee
Paul McGill
Sarah
Murray
Virginia Nolde
Lauren Quibodeaux
Molly Roberts
Kevin Rosetti
Erica
Shaeffer
Natasha Tran
David Ward
Carlos Zavala
Dance
Captain: Laura Marcin
Muzzy's Boys:
Matthew
Galligan
Tucker Hansen
AJ Hernandez
Sean McGee
David Ward
Carlos
Zavala
Speakeasy Dancers:
Katie Briggs
Megan
Dutra
Lindsay Forbes
Ale Hoss
Addison Moore
Ashley Moore
Virginia
Nolde
Molly Roberts
Erica Schaeffer
Natasha
Tran
Ensemble:
Kyle Alcaino, Haley Balthrop, Erin Cannon, Keely
Cannon, Jacqueline Cisneros, Erin Corrigan, Erin Dascanio, Anthony De Nicola,
Holly Ersek, Diana Escalante, Katie Fenstermaker, Victoria Hernandez, Lauren
Holcombe, Kate Hughes, Mykel Jeffrey, Molly Lehman, Alex Lopez, Max Lizarraga,
Andrew Marino, Kevin McGee, Brenna Mullally, Eric Orr, Thomas Ramos, Nicole
Rickard, Kevin Rosetti, Maggie Sanchez, Monica Santos, Jessie Shrout, Christine
Stevens, Danielle Velasco
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