Roberts, who also appeared in Broadway's Dream, Crazy for You and in the tour of the scuttled Busker Alley, is expected to be joined by Daniel Reichard (who played Keith Haring in The Public Theater's Radiant Baby) as love interest Jimmy, and Tony Award-nominee Pamela Isaacs (nommed for her soulful turn in The Life) as wealthy-but-grounded Muzzy Van Hossmere. Reichard and Isaacs are in talks.
An official casting announcement has not yet been made. The national tour, directed by Michael Mayer and recreated by the original creative team of the 2002 Best Musical Tony Award-winner, launches at Kansas City, Missouri's Starlight Theater, July 15-20.
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Millie Dillmount's entire itinerary hasn't been announced for the national tour of Thoroughly Modern Millie, but some markets have gone public about her arrival.
Millie engagements announced so far include the Music Hall in Dallas (July 22-Aug. 3), Belk Theatre in Charlotte, NC (Sept. 23-28), Wharton Center in East Lansing, MI (Oct. 14-19), Aronoff Center in Cincinnati Nov. 18-30), Broward Center in Ft. Lauderdale, FL (Jan. 6 18, 2004), Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles (May 18 July 25, 2004). Green Bay, WI, is expected to announce dates, as will many others markets. The Jeanine Tesori-Dick Scanlan musical comedy is inspired by the film of the same name and focuses on a Kansas girl who seeks adventure and a rich husband in the Oz-worthy, Jazz-Age New York City of 1922.
The original design and creative team (including Tony Award-winning costume designer Martin Pakledinaz and Tony-winning choreographer Rob Ashford) will be a part of the fresh tour, which is expected to be more scenically spare than at Broadway's Marquis, where the show won the 2002 Best Musical Tony Award (and continues), and where Sutton Foster, a longtime ensemble actress in tours and on Broadway, was made a star (she took home the Tony for Best Actress in a Musical).
The tour cast is designed to bring to the regions what was brought to Broadway — fresh faces in a show that is largely about bubbling youth.
The musical is inspired by the 1967 film of the same name, but deviates from the score and story to create a hybrid Broadway original. The libretto is by Dick Scanland and the late Richard Morris, with lyrics by Scanlan and music by Jeanine Tesori. The score includes nine new songs, two film songs and interpolations of period and classical numbers (would you believe a little "Nutcracker" and an Arthur Sullivan patter tune?).
Musical direction is by Michael Rafter, with design by David Gallo (scenic), Donald Holder (lighting) and Jon Weston (sound).
Thoroughly Modern Millie is presented by Michael Leavitt, Fox Theatricals and Hal Luftig, with Stewart F. Lane, James L. Nederlander, Independent Presenters Network, L. Mages/M. Glick, D. Berinstein/J. Manocherian/Dramatic Forces, John York Noble and Whoopi Goldberg.
