Thoroughly Modern Millie is a musical with music by Jeanine Tesori, lyrics by Dick Scanlan, and a book by Richard Morris and Scanlan.[1] It is based on the 1967 film of the same name,[2] which itself was based on the British musical Chrysanthemum, which opened in London in 1956.[3] Thoroughly Modern Millie tells the story of a small-town girl, Millie Dillmount, who comes to New York City to marry for money instead of love – a thoroughly modern aim in 1922, when women were just entering the workforce. Millie soon begins to take delight in the flapper lifestyle, but problems arise when she checks into a hotel owned by the leader of a white slavery ring in China.[4] The style of the musical is comic pastiche. Like the film on which it is based, it interpolates new tunes with some previously written songs.
After previews at the La Jolla Playhouse in San Diego, California, in October 2000,[5] the show opened on Broadway on April 18, 2002.[1] The production subsequently won six 2002 Tony Awards, including Best Musical.[6] Due to the success of the original Broadway production, there was both a United States tour[7] and a West End production[8] launched in 2003, followed by a United Kingdom tour in 2005.[9] The musical has since become a popular choice for high school productions,[10] but has garnered controversy over its racial stereotyping of its Asian characters,[11] and has been described as "a piece [that] walks the line of being entertaining and highly offensive".[12]
