San Marin musical theater presents family-friendly musical

Wednesday, March 5, 2008 2:01 PM PST

Special to the Advance

The dollar is down, inflation is up: it’s time to try to forget about the worries of 2008. 

There can’t be a better escape than “Thoroughly Modern Millie,” the lively musical comedy produced by the San Marin High Music department.

A romp set in the roaring 20s takes us back to days in Manhattan when young women bobbed their hair, raised their hemlines, and pursued their dreams of life in the big city with meaningless jobs and meaningful romances. 

The work is loosely based on the 1967 film starring Julie Andrews, but it has an original book and lively score, bright enough to win six Tony awards when it opened in New York in 2002.

There’s a plot and a sub-plot, a look at speakeasies and café society, syncopated tap dancing and plenty of Charleston, the ups and downs of young love, and, of course, a happy ending.

Flappers and tuxedo-clad  gents are right at home in the evocative Jazz Age setting. With catchy songs and an upbeat story, this show appeals to the optimist in everyone. 

More than 80 students are involved in the production, including its orchestra and crew. Leading roles are  double cast to provide equal opportunities for the number of exceptional students in San Marin’s music department, some of whom already perform professionally outside of school.

The director of “Thoroughly Modern Millie” is Emily Gates, with music conducted by Samantha Maas-Baldwin and choreography by Kate Kenyon. Both Maas-Baldwin and Kenyon are San Marin alumnae.

Emily Gates Student Center, San Marin High School, 15 San Marin Drive, Novato.

Showtimes are March 7, 8, 14 and 15 at 8 pm; March 9 and 16 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $8 in advance  and $10 at the door.