| Chicago Tribune - Recommended
"...Mader’s work, which focuses primarily on the ensemble, is what makes this production come alive. Among the tour de force creations of this unsung Chicago choreographer are an especially droll rendition of “The Speed Test” (wherein typists tap from fingers and toes) and some gorgeously relaxed movement from an unusually sophisticated male chorus, which counts the great Andy Lupp among its mature numbers."
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Chicago Sun Times - Highly Recommended
"...Frankly, this show has thoroughly bored me over the years. But director William Osetek has gathered a slew of sensational actor-singer-dancers, a hugely inspired design team, ace music director Ben Johnson, and, best of all, choreographer Tammy Mader (Chicago's answer to Broadway's Susan Stroman, who has created a series of knockout dance numbers). And along the way, they have uncovered both the heart and the adventurously steely core of the show. They've also brought out the wit and richness of its score -- the work of Jeanine Tesori and Dick Scanlan (with a few holdover songs from the 1967 film)."
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Time Out Chicago - Somewhat Recommended
"...Most curious are Millie’s self-conscious attempts to finesse its source’s iffy racial politics. Making Mickey Rooney’s performance in Breakfast at Tiffany’s look subtle, a main subplot of the film concerns the white-slavery ring run by wicked Mrs. Meers and her sinister Asian minions. The 21st-century version will still delight connoisseurs of bloken Engrish jokes. But it’s ironic, now, sort of, when Meers’s laundry-bearing assistants talk back in supertitled Cantonese and end up heroes. It’s neither offensive nor revelatory, really, but mostly just confusing, reflecting the hollow viewpoint of this synthetic-feeling show."
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Chicago Reader - Highly Recommended
"...The score is a mixture of spruced-up old tunes--including two from the 1910 operetta Naughty Marietta and the Al Jolson chestnut "My Mammy"--and new ones by Jeanine Tesori and Dick Scanlan that just sound dated. Still, Holly Ann Butler is a thoroughly likable Millie, and William Osetek's bright, energetic, mildly campy, exceptionally well-cast and well-executed production makes it all work. Just don't look too closely at the underlying material."
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NewCity Chicago - Recommended
"...Why the creators dumped some of the best period songs of the film in favor of such inferior new material is a mystery, but at least the Drury Lane choreography by Tammy Mader and swing band directed by Ben Johnson evoke a sense of the raucousness of the era. Holly Ann Butler is a likeable Millie, though there is little of the initial naïveté that the character calls for. By contrast, her suitor Jimmy (Mark Fisher), who is supposed to have street smarts, comes off as the one who needs to be shown the ropes. The other lovers (Randall Dodge and Dara Cameron) do exhibit some chemistry in their scenes but it is Melody Betts who steals the show with a knockout performance as Muzzy."
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Windy City Times - Highly Recommended
"...Drury Lane's superlative Thoroughly Modern Millie is actually a case when the home-grown production is better than the national Broadway tour. When it's this good, just drop your qualms about film-to-stage adaptations and go have a great time."
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Talkin Broadway - Highly Recommended
"...The director is William Osetek, and one can only imagine his glee that everything comes together so nicely here. Tammy Mader is in charge of the dancing, which never fails to amuse and amaze, with lots of great tap that really sells the show."
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Centerstage - Highly Recommended
"...William Osetek has directed this pleasant bit of fluff at breakneck speed, ably aided by one of Chicago's most reliably talented choreographers, Tammy Mader. The production bursts with energy thanks to Osetek and Mader's intricate tap numbers, and Charleston variations infuse this show with all the joy of the original Broadway production. Scenic designer Kevin Depinet has created a soaring, movable backdrop of skyscrapers against which the story unfolds. And Tatjana Radisic's flashy flapper wear is colorful and period-perfect."
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Edge - Highly Recommended
"...The Drury Lane Oakbrook’s latest creation, an absolutely showstopping mounting of the 2002 Tony Award winner for Best Musical, Thoroughly Modern Millie, is yet another triumphant notch on the belt of Drury Lane Productions, as well as its Executive Producer, Kyle DeSantis."
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ChicagoCritic - Highly Recommended
"...Thoroughly Modern Millie is a cute, sweet Broadway musical that sings nicely, dances superbly containing loads of laughs. One of the highlights of this production is the over-the-top comic work of Randall Dodge as the stuffy Trevor Graydon. This guys knows how to milk a laugh. His duet with Dara Cameron, as Miss. Dorothy Brown, was a hoot as it played out as an ode to the old Nelson Eddy and Jeanette McDonald MGM film operettas."
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Chicago Theater Blog - Recommended
"...Drury Lane’s Thoroughly Modern Millie is a top notch professional production that is as good as any musical you will see of this size. The cast is filled with talented stars, the creative team is at its best, and the stage is strikingly magical. For musical theater lovers, this is the show you want to see. And for those new to the theater, this might be the musical that sucks you in to Chicago’s musical theatre scene."
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Steadstyle Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...The cast is headed up by the lovely Holly Ann Butler as Millie, who can sing, who can dance and who has a flair for comedy, and Mark Fisher as Jimmy Smith. While his voice is average, he has the perfect look and can he dance! Wow. Mrs. Meers is skillfully played by one of Chicago's finest, Paula Scrofano, and Miss Dorothy Brown is deftly handled by Dara Cameron. Millie's boss, Mr. Graydon is played by Randall Dodge, an actor who makes each little movement a production. He can do with his body parts what Dale Benson does with his voice, making a 20 second bit last for five minutes, but five glorious minutes. Bravo!"
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