Gold-Digging Flappers

In the musical land of 1922, it was a modern ambition to perform the secretarial duties of a rich businessman and impress him into marriage, thus securing a cushy position in life. As strategic and dreary as that sounds, the eponymous main character in the classic tale of Thoroughly Modern Millie actually makes it quite fun. She arrives on the bustling scene of New York City, all the way from tumbleweed-ridden Salina, Kansas. With her perfectly pinned-up hair and flapper dress, Millie rents a room at the Hotel Priscilla (for single women), meets many a modern friend, dances many a dance, but is quickly ensnared in the shenanigans of its owner, Mrs. Meers. Along the way, a love triangle -- well, a love square -- forms between Millie; her boss, Mr. Trevor Graydon III; her friend, Miss Dorothy; and the happy scamp Jimmy Smith. It all works out in the end with a little help from jazz-loving Muzzy, and Millie even manages to free all the single white girls from Mrs. Meers' slave trade. The Muny in Forest Park (1 Theatre Drive; 314-361-1900) starts the show at 8:15 p.m. Free seating opens at 7 p.m.; tickets range from $10 to $70 and are available at the box office or online at www.muny.org.
June 18-24, 8:15 p.m., 2012