Summertime in Louisiana calls for a sizzling musical and the remarkable Shreveport Little Theatre (SLT) delivered with its production of Thoroughly Modern Millie.

Millie is often described as a musical comedy. The book and lyrics are by Richard Henry Morris and Dick Scanlan, and music by Jeanine Tesori are based on the original 1960’s screenplay by Morris, which starred Julie Andrews. The setting is the roaring ‘20s in which a small-town girl (Millie Dillmount) from Kansas found her way to the Big Apple hoping to marry for wealth instead of love. This was quite the modern notion at a time when women were just beginning to enter the workforce. Throughout Millie’s search for her Mister Moneybags, she encounters new friendship, gains employment, tackles a villainess, and learns that she had to follow her heart when it came to love.

Alisha Munds, a native of Shreveport and Northwestern State University graduate in Musical Theatre, shined as Millie in her SLT debut. Her years of musical theatre performance prepared her for this role, especially her recent and well-loved portrayal of the title character in Always…Patsy Cline at the Northwestern Dinner Theatre. As Millie, she embodied the feisty flapper with her charisma and vocal command. Munds was sensational and possessed the tenacity required for the role of Millie. She entranced the audience from the opening number of “Not for the Life of Me” until the curtains falls.

Braxton Hogan, currently studying Musical Theatre at Northwestern State University, was magnetic as Millie’s love interest, Jimmy Smith. Hogan was charming as Jimmy in a way that had you cheering for him, hoping that Millie would finally come to her senses about marriage. Hogan’s vocal talent delighted the audience adding to Jimmy’s appeal during the production.

A seasoned SLT performer (Shrek, The Crucible) and Shreveport local, Camille Schmoutz, portrayed the antagonist named Mrs. Meers. She is depicted as a white woman disguised as Chinese who preyed on the orphan girls arriving to the big city “all alone in the world.” This referred to prostitution/human trafficking and alluded to the harsh realities of today. Schmoutz was convincing as the malefactor and a shockingly part of the comedic nature of the play. A portion of her allure was her side-kick duo Ching Ho and Bun Foo portrayed by Chris Schmoutz and Kyle Denton, respectively. Many of the laughable moments came from the deviously comedic performance of Mrs. Meers and her duo.

Oblivious to Mrs. Meers’ conniving plans, some of the hotel guests were vanishing and no one noticed until Millie’s friend Miss Dorothy Brown (Liesl Cruz) was one of the missing guests. Cruz portrayed Miss Dorothy as a genuine southern belle that worked its magic on Ching Ho, saving her from Mrs. Meers. Another character involved in Mrs. Meers’ demise was Muzzy Van Hossmere, a highlight performance for Barbara Holmes, a club singer and friend of Millie’s. Holmes mesmerized the audience as the sassy singer with her vocal flair and wit.

This was the first time that SLT took a turn at this tongue-in-cheek play for a total of 12 performances under directorial team Laura Beeman Nugent and Adam Philley. A graduate of Louisiana State University-Shreveport and Bossier City native, Nugent served as stage director and choreographer for this production with past directorial repertoire including SLT’s productions of Little Shop of Horrors, Shrek, Chicago, and Pageant. Philley, a Centenary College of Louisiana graduate from central Louisiana, operated as both musical director and cast member. This was his second time functioning in both roles for an SLT production with the first being for Pageant. Philley stated that with each Millie performance “there was a growing enthusiasm with the cast/crew as well as the audience over the course of the show’s run.” The high energy shown on stage was a mirror image of the cast backstage. Before every show they would arrange in a circle and chant, prepping them for the Millie mindset. The final performance was on Sunday, July 30, 2017 that sold out completely to a charmed house.

Overall, the entire cast and crew deserves a big round of applause for their fantastic performances. The packed house rose to their feet in standing ovation. The production’s dance sequences were vivacious, especially with the amazing 1920s inspired costumes. Director Nugent said her favorite part of the choreography are the tap numbers in which the audience responses were in agreement. It was easily conveyed that the whole cast and crew put their heart and soul into this production with an audience leaving thoroughly entertained.
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Category Broadway, Musical

Runtime 2hrs and 30 min

Credits Book by Richard Henry Morris and Dick Scanlan; New Lyrics by Dick Scanlan; New Music by Jeanine Tesori; Original Story and Screenplay by Richard Morris for the Universal Pictures Film; Directed/Choreographed by Laura Beeman Nugent; Musically Directed by Adam Philley

Cast Alisha Munds as Millie Dillmount, Braxton Hogan as Jimmy Smith, Camille Schmoutz as Mrs. Meers, Liesl Cruz as Miss Dorothy Brown, Kyle Boston as Trevor Graydon, Claire Watson as Miss Peg Flannery, Barbara Holmes as Muzzy Van Hossmere, Chris Schmoutz as Ching Ho, Kyle Denton as Bun Foo, Brier DePriest as Ruth, Shalem Johnson as Gloria, Lucia Boyd as Rita, Sarah Dunham as Alice, Tomiya Washington as Cora, Gabby McFerren as Lucille, Allison-Rebekah Miller as Ethel Peas, Adam Philley as F. Scott Fitzgerald/Dexter, Ensemble: Yoon Lee as Zelda Fitzgerald, Lee Garrett as Ira Gershwin, Duke Pierce as George Gershwin, Cassidy Giddens as Dorothy Parker, Serdalyer Darden as Rodney, Rayshaughn Arnant as Kenneth, LisaAnn Kemper as Daphne, Jessica Bato as Mama/Mathilde, Quinn Tanner, Madison Truax, Sarah Lord, Elizabeth Beagley, Madison Montgomery, Mikah Thomas

Crew Director/Choreographer Laura Beeman Nugent; Music Director Adam Philley; Assistant Choreographer Shalem Johnson Carr; Dance Captain Braxton Hogan; Costumer Peggy San Pedro; Costume Assistant Lee Townscend; Set Design/Technical Director Chris Gonzales; Properties Design Gerry Castellani; Set Dressing Robert Darrow; Lighting Designer David White; Production Stage Manager Bailey White; Assistant Stage Manager Brier DePriest; Sound Designer and Engineer Barry Butler; Sound Assistant Caroline Dopson; Light Board Operator Kendall Du Illio; Music Operator Chase Dittman; Spot Operator Tyrone Puryear and Caitlyn Morrison; Running Crew Leo VanderKuy; Wig Stylist Patty Munds; Running Crew Landon Truax; with special thanks to Jason Mabini, Robert Cruz, Bre Garcia

Opened July 13, 2017
Closed July 30, 2017