Michelle Francis and Matthew McKenna in Thoroughly Modern Millie at Kilworth House Theatre, Leicestershire. Picture: Jems Photography
Thoroughly Modern Millie continues at the Kilworth House Theatre, Leicestershire until 11 September.
Star rating: five stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Kilworth House Theatre delivers yet another outstanding summer production at its Leicestershire open-air auditorium. One of two annual large scale stagings (the former being Matthew White’s excellent West Side Story) Stephen Mear’s Thoroughly Modern Millie is an absolute summer delight: spectacular, pin-sharp and effortlessly endearing.
This time the audience is strapped firmly into the roaring American 1920s. Flapper dresses are on (Morgan Large’s set and costumes are totally on point), the speakeasies are open for business and tongues are firmly pressed into cheeks.
Our heroine, Millie (Michelle Francis) tears up her ticket home and strides into the hive of the Big City, determined to emerge victorious with fame, fortune and a Sugar Daddy. Francis appears to have been carved out of pure gold for the role, perfectly pitched, impeccable with the slapstick and endlessly watchable. Her counterpart, Jimmy – charming and vulnerable in all the right manners – is played with some high class by Ashley Day.
Clare Halse is equally and uniquely well cast as Miss Dorothy, dreamy with a healthy portion of irony, and a gorgeous soprano that almost (but not quite) works against her in its authenticity. Comparisons to Kristin Chenoweth are of course inevitable, but it’s rare you see a performer who could really give the diva a run for her money.
The thing about Mear which elevates him into the stratosphere is his grasp of character within every physical direction. His choreography, of course, retains the hallmarks of the decade, but each number is laced with something unusual to hook onto.
There is just an undeniable quality which is always a treat. The ensemble takes to the task with clear joy, despite the huge physical (and vocal) demands of the score and choreography. Standouts included Jo Morris and Stuart Winter who are immensely watchable.
In a thrilling competition for the steal of the show, Matthew McKenna, Rachel Stanley and Michelle Bishop deliver a battle of comedy genius as Graydon, Millie’s patter-driven wealthy boss; Mrs Meers, the criminally insane ex-actress posing badly as a Chinese landlady; and Miss Flannery, the secretary obstructing Millie from her daily goals – respectively.
Stanley has an flawless sense of comic timing and some delightfully brazen nerve. Bishop gives Jim Carey a run for his money with her astounding physical comedy in a tap dancing highlight of the show. On this occasion however, McKenna clinches the gold, not only for his exceptional patter skills, but for a side-splitting pastiche opposite Halse in ‘Ah! Sweet Mystery’, playing the epitome of every tragic fop who has ever sung of the mysteries of love.
No show is perfect, but it’s rare and joyful as a reviewer to come across a production which is so consistently well cast, well put together and where the love for the craft is equivalent to what’s communicated. Perhaps it’s in the air, there is definitely something about this hidden gem of a venue that seems to bring out the best in its creatives. If you can beg, borrow or steal a ticket, I’d highly recommend it.
Aura Simon
www.kilworthhousetheatre.co.uk
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