Sandie Hawthorne knows the drill when it comes to putting on big-scale musicals.
“Musicals are always a collaborative process,” said Hawthorne, who directs “Thoroughly Modern Millie.” It runs Wednesday through Friday at 6:30 p.m. in Savannah Center. “Everyone has to work together to make it work.”
The Villages Musical Theater production features nearly 40 local performers. Linda “Bert” Berthiaume stars as Millie with Carter Poust as Jimmy. Also in the cast are Sally Spieth, Donna Francis, Jack Filkins, Trevor Graydon, Mollie McCarthy, Frank Olive, Andy Malinosky and Gail Baumann.
But this “Millie” team is bigger than the actors on stage. Helene Yelverton did the choreography and Jean Butler is the music director of a live orchestra. Bob Bratt helped with the sets and Dick Steele used his carpentry skills to put everything together.
“I don’t know what we would do without them,” Hawthorne said. “Dick Steel is a master carpenter and Bob Bratt is a tremendous designer and artistic painter.
“This will certainly be a very fun show, loaded with terrific dancers and unbelievably good actors and actresses,” Hawthorne added. “But you can’t do anything without the production team and they have been amazing. “
“Thoroughly Modern Millie,” was a 1967 movie with Julie Andrews in starring role of a small town girl who comes to New York City during the flapper era.
Millie changes with the times, in a rollicking, musical comedy filled with songs and dances.
Money raised will benefit The Sozo Kids of the Ocala National Forest.
