Show Synopsis:
Millie Dillmount moves from a small town to New York City to marry a wealthy man and live in the lap of luxury for the rest of her life. She gets a room at the Hotel Priscilla and becomes friends with the wealthy Miss Dorothy, who wants to learn how a less affluent life. Millie gets a job at Sincere Trust as a stenographer with the intention of marrying the company boss Trevor Graydon, while Miss Meers, the owner of the Hotel Priscilla, tries to capture Miss Dorothy to be sold into white slavery. Millie unintentionally foils her plan, and she and Dorothy go to a club to celebrate Millie's employment. They see Jimmy, who is beginning to fall in love with Millie, and the famous singer Muzzy van Hossemare. Millie tells Jimmy off for being a womanizer, and believes he is dating Miss Dorothy. At first she is angry, but allows him to take her to dinner, where Millie debates whether she is throwing away a chance at true love in pursuit of Trevor. Muzzy convinces her to set her heart on Jimmy while Trevor falls in love with Dorothy. Trevor, Jimmy, Millie, and Muzzy realize that Miss Meers has been kidnapping her tenants to sell them and conspire to get her arrested. Millie accepts Jimmy's marriage proposal and learns that he is actually rich, Miss Dorothy's brother, and Muzzy's son, so Millie achieves her dream after all.
Character:
Millie Dillmount, a young modern woman in search of love and money; persistent.
Song Context:
Millie goes to work with the other stenographers the day after seeing Jimmy leaving Miss Dorothy's room, obviously hiding something from her. She is angry at him for leading her on, especially when she should be focusing on seducing Trevor. She also gets increasingly frustrated with herself for being unable to move on from thinking about him.
Fun Facts:
1) This musical was based on the 1967 musical film of the same name starring Julie Andrews.
2) Sutton Foster originated the role of Millie on Broadway, winning a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical, and told Newsday in an interview that she identified "with her tenacity to make a name for herself and create her own destiny."
3) Jeanine Tesori, who composed the score of the musical, once called the musical "a coming-of-age story. So would you call it happy? You watch someone literally start their life: a young girl drops who she ever was and begins again, like so many people do in New York. It's hopeful. It's about beginnings."
"MILLIE: No canary in a cage for me!
This canary's ready to fly free!
Cut the cord -
Is that a man I once adored?
He's nothing but an albatross
No great loss
Doublecrosser.
Forget about the boy.
Pull the plug.
Ain't he the one who pulled the rug?
He's lower than an alley cat
Dirty rat
And I flatter.
Forget about the boy.
Forget about the boy.
Forget about the boy.
And in the moonlight,
Don't you think about him.
Sister, you're much better off without him.
You can blow the blues a kiss goodbye
And put the sun back in the sky
For when he comes crawlin'
I'm not fallin'.
Shout hooray and halleluh!
Now me and mister wrong are through.
I'll find myself another beau
Who I know is no rover.
Forget about the boy
Forget about the boy
Forget about -
Jimmy, oh Jimmy, Jimmy
TYPIST #1:
Horace
TYPIST #2:
Danny
TYPIST #3:
Milton
TYPIST #4:
Percy
TYPIST #5:
Edgar
TYPIST #6:
Timothy
TYPIST #7:
Alfred
TYPIST #8:
Vito Carbone
TYPIST #9:
Benjamin Pratt, the third
TYPIST #10:
Teddy Morgan
MISS FLANNERY:
Barney Schreiber, C.P.A.
MILLIE:
Jimmy, oh Jimmy, silly boy
Gee, what a real swell guy
MISS FLANNERY and TYPISTS (at the same time):
Cut the cord, is that a man I once adored?
He's nothing but an albatross
No great loss, doublecrosser
ALL:
Forget about the boy
MILLIE:
Jimmy, oh Jimmy, what great joy
He makes my troubles fly
MISS FLANNERY and TYPISTS (at the same time):
Pull the plug, ain't he the one who pulled the rug?
He's lower than an alley cat, dirty rat
And I flatter
ALL: Forget about the boy
Forget about the boy
Forget about the boy!
(The typists break into defiant tap, topped by MISS FLANNERY in a tap solo.)
Shout hooray and halleluh!
Now that me and mister wrong are through
I'll find myself another beau
Who I know is no rover
Forget about the boy
Forget about the boy
Forget about the boy
And in the moonlight, don't you think about him.
Sister you're much better off without him.
You can blow the blues a kiss goodbye
And put the sun back in the sky
MISS FLANNERY and TYPISTS:
For when he comes crawlin'
MILLIE:
I'm not fallin'
ALL:
Hallelujah!
Forget about the boy
Forget about the boy
Forget about the boy!"