PUTNEY — Alisa Hauser, a member of the original Broadway cast of the musical “Thoroughly Modern Millie,” has directed and choreographed a junior version of that high spirited show for The Grammar School in Putney.
On April 30 and May 1, 2, and 3, at 7 p.m., in two separate casts, all TGS seventh and eighth graders will perform in “Thoroughly Modern Millie Jr.” at the school auditorium at 69 Hickory Ridge Rd.
The musical 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,” writes David Lewis in The Guide to the Musical Theatre. “Millie soon begins to take delight in the flapper lifestyle, but sinister problems arise when she checks into her hotel.”
Produced by Alli Lubin, longtime TGS musical director, this junior version is based on the 2002 hit Broadway musical, which itself is based on the popular 1967 Julie Andrews musical film of the same name, directed by George Roy Hill.
With music by Jeanine Tesori, lyrics by Dick Scanlan, and a book by Richard Morris and Scanlan, the show is an affectionate, playful send-up of the movies, fashions, and music of the 1920s. Millie Jr., like the film on which it is based, blends songs written just for the show and old standards that are associated with the 1920s.
Show Business as usual for Grammar School kids
Each year at The Grammar School, every seventh- and eighth-grade student auditions for and participates in a musical production. Each students receives a role (or multiple roles) in the musical and takes on the responsibility of technical jobs to help run the production.
Additionally, for three months in the winter, rehearsals are integrated into the daytime curriculum. TGS says it is dedicated to maintaining a strong art and music program, and the school musical is a testament to that commitment. The musical is one of the capstone experiences for seventh- and eighth-graders.
This year's production proved to be something extra special given the insights of its director. Alisa Hauser knows many of the inside secrets of Millie, as she remained in the production for its entire Broadway run - April 18, 2002 to June 20, 2004, a total 903 performances and 32 previews.
“Let's just say about being in a show that long: at first it is a dream come true, but then it becomes just a job,” Hauser confesses.
In addition to “Millie,” Hauser has also appeared in the original cast of Disney's “Beauty and the Beast” and joined Rosie O'Donnell for a popular revival of “Grease.” Last year she undertook a concert version of “A Christmas Carol” on PBS that she wrote with Bob Christianson.
Nonetheless, after a successful career in theater in New York City, Hauser has recently moved to Brattleboro to be with her family. Although she says she would consider any good part were it offered her, and she's working to line up work through Weston Playhouse, she's dedicated mostly to directing and teaching.
Indeed, she works in the music department of New England Youth Theatre (NEYT), where she teaches classes in musical theater.
According to TGS Director of Development Suzanne Rubinstein, “Hauser is making a name for herself locally as a talented youth theater director, voice and dance teacher.”
Lubin, who is producing the show with Hauser, says, working with a Broadway actor who is also a talented director, vocal coach and dancer is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for students.
“It is a dream scenario for all of us involved, and not to be missed. One unusual development made possible thanks to Alisa's talent and skill is that every student will learn how to tap dance this spring. Instead of a live band, we used our money to buy 30 pairs of tap shoes,” Lubin says.
Lubin and Hauser met last year when they joined forces to present “Hairspray” for New England Youth Theatre. Lubin knew a good thing when she saw it, and recruited the theatre veteran to work with her on the next musical she was planning for TGS.
As TGS musical director for the past 21 years, Lubin has produced that many musicals for the school - never repeating a show, as she points out with pride.
“We started off with 'Peter Pan' and ran through pretty much the whole gamut of the Broadway musical repertoire. I did most of Rodgers and Hammerstein's shows, but I had to cut them myself.”
She adds that TGS also took on junior versions of many of the classic musicals, often redesigned by the creators of the originals themselves.
“You'd be surprised how many titles there are: 'Music Man Jr.,' 'Guys and Dolls Jr.,' 'Fiddler on the Roof Jr.' These versions are somewhat shorted to work well with young kids, and any offensive material is taken out, to make the shows age appropriate,” she explains.
Is there any problem getting students in the seventh- and eighth-grade to play adults with all those characters' age-specific concerns?
“Not at all,” Hauser says. “That's part of the fun of the whole thing.”
Fun with a clear conscience
That said, TGS is adamant that nothing in this “Millie” could be construed as racist - but that's not always the case with this show. Only last month, The Boston Globe reported “a stage version of “Thoroughly Modern Millie” performed at Newton North High School in Massachusetts triggered a backlash from some Asian-Americans who said the musical's racial stereotypes are 'hurtful and unacceptable.'”
“I do think that the original 'Millie' is a terrible movie and it is racist,” says Hauser. “But I don't think that's true of the stage show. I was with the creators when they said that in no way would they turn this property into a Broadway musical unless they could spin its treatment of Asians on its head.”
In this junior version, Hauser is being “extra-careful” not to offend any cultural or racial group.
“We are absolutely not making fun of anything in our Millie. In fact, the two students who are playing the Chinese characters in the show had to learn actual Chinese, which for kids that age is quite a feat,” she says.
Lubin agrees with Hauser wholeheartedly, yet also acknowledges the show as a vexing cultural issue from an historical perspective.
“So many of the great shows of the past we can not do today without some alterations because they contain elements that now strike people as offensive, which at the time were thought to be in fun,” she says.
She points to “Peter Pan,” which she says she would like to adapt next year, “but of course that has the problem with all those Indians. When we first put on that show 21 years ago, we tried to solve the problem by transforming the Indians into animals. But that's not quite the same, is it?”