Thoroughly Modern Millie at the Waterside Theatre Aylesbury Review
Reviewed by Tricia Shaw
A thoroughly enjoyable evening spent at Aylesbury Waterside Theatre watching the production of Thoroughly Modern Millie. Set in the 1920s a young girl from Kansas arrives in New York determined to find a rich husband and be a “modern” girl. Far from being as easy as she expected she finds herself with no place to stay and no-one to help her, that is until she is given the name of a women only hotel where she is able to live while she looks for work. With the sinister plot of young girls being sold to the white slave trade in the background, the story unfolds as Millie sets to work looking for a job and a boss to marry. A cross between pantomime and Strictly Come Dancing, this straightforward tale of love is brought to life through vibrant costumes, amazing dancing and some excellent comical performances.
The music throughout was delightful; it is always good to hear a live band and the variety of singing voices and styles were amazing. The dances were well choreographed and it was a joy to watch them all from the ballroom dancing, high kicks and tap dancing to the typical 20’s Charleston.
The set appeared to be fairly simple, but its very creative design allowed it to be easily adapted and this led to very slick scene changes. The hotel rooms and the lift lights were particularly effective and a simple rotation of the office signage transported the scene to the outside ledge high above the streets.
There were many excellent portrayals of the various characters, particularly Millie (Joanne Clifton) who was fantastic but my favourite has to be Mrs Meers (Lucas Rush). The ease with which he moves between his two personas is great fun to watch and he delivers some excellent lines. The scenes with Bun Foo and Ching Ho were very amusing and I loved the way the vacancy sign doubled up as a subtitles screen when they spoke in Chinese, even though the writing was a little small at times.
A wonderful show where the term musical comedy has never been more apt. Don’t miss it! The UK tour continues in Aylesbury until Saturday 1st April then moves on to: Brighton Theatre Royal 4-8 April; Orchard Theatre Dartford 11-15 April; Leeds Grand 17- 22 April; Woking New Victoria 8- 13 May; Manchester Palace 23- 27 May; Churchill Theatre Bromley 5-10 June, Bristol Hippodrome 20-24 June; Newcastle Theatre Royal 10-15 July. For further information check out the Tour website modernmillie.co.uk or follow on Twitter @ModernMillieUK.
The Theatre and Interval Refreshments
Aylesbury theatre is a spacious and modern building. It is easy to find and parking is reasonable (£2 for 1 – 3 hours). There are two bars where I found the staff to be polite and attentive. They also now have a new system available called “Ordertorium” which offers the chance to order interval drinks and snacks to be brought to you in your seats. You have the choice of using the app or ordering directly with a staff member. The app was quick and easy to install however we chose to order in person, attracting attention by waving the menu in the air – I felt rather silly at this point but lots of people were doing the same. I’m sure with time it will become quite normal. Our order was taken and the food and drink was brought to us promptly at the start of the interval. I had chosen a salmon and cream cheese bagel (£4.95) and house wine (£4.50). Although it was a little on the expensive side in my opinion, it was very tasty and it was nice to be able to eat something decent as I had not had time for dinner before the show. There were plenty of other drinks (both alcoholic and non-alcoholic) as well as the usual ice-creams available. The staff members were quick and attentive and I would recommend using this system, although it did mean there was no need to walk about and I missed stretching my legs after sitting for a while.
Rating: 4.5/5
Tickets cost from £17.50 to £49 (plus £2.85 transaction fee).
Thoroughly Modern Millie is at the Waterside Theatre in Aylesbury from 28 March to 1 April 2017, for more information or to book tickets visit www.atgtickets.com/aylesbury or call the box office on 0844 871 7607.
Waterside Theatre, Exchange Street, Aylesbury, Bucks, HP20 1UG | 0844 871 7607
