Guest tap choreographer Chelsea Unzner, a drama major at
UC-Berkeley, was delighted by the work ethnic of Oakwood School’s
cast on
”
Thoroughly Modern Millie
”
that opens April 15.
”
Coming into the rehearsals, I had teenagers with various ranges
of dancing experience so I was a bit worried about how they would
pick up the choreography, but they absolutely blew me away with
their dedication and level of professionalism,
”
Unzer said.
Morgan Hill – Guest tap choreographer Chelsea Unzner, a drama major at UC-Berkeley, was delighted by the work ethnic of Oakwood School’s cast on “Thoroughly Modern Millie” that opens April 15.
“Coming into the rehearsals, I had teenagers with various ranges of dancing experience so I was a bit worried about how they would pick up the choreography, but they absolutely blew me away with their dedication and level of professionalism,” Unzer said, who recently performed in the acclaimed world premiere show “I Dream of Chang and Eng.”
“They all came together and created something rather special.”
The production at Oakwood School in Morgan Hill is “Thoroughly Modern Millie” – a rollicking, fun, family friendly show. It takes place in 1922, and features an upbeat and charming score that captures the feel and flavor of the jazz age. Winner of six Tony awards in 2002, a small town girl comes to New York City in search of her future. Her plan is to become a “modern” woman and marry someone who can provide her with what she thinks she wants out of life.
A huge challenge of the show is when two characters are required to speak in fluent Chinese for a majority of the show, even singing two songs in Chinese. The two students who play these characters, Tim Plummer and Samuel Lai, have spent countless hours with a dialect guide learning the nuances of each word. “Attempting to adopt an Asian intonation in my language after years of speaking in European tones was an incredibly, incredibly difficult task,” Plummer said.
Complete with madcap characters, colorful costumes, and memorable tap dancing, Millie is a delight. “I have been a huge fan of the show for years,” director Alicia Sanders said. “My cast is diverse and talented, and they have really worked together to bring this show to life. One of the special things about our performances is that we really try to include students in all aspects of production. Students spend Saturdays building the sets, they work as the technical crew members for the productions, and even serve as assistant choreographers and stage managers. We’re a small school, but that makes us one big family. I’m always so proud of how the students have fun together but still take the show seriously and push themselves to new levels of accomplishment.”
Many of the students who participate in Oakwood’s drama program have their sights set on the big time. Haven Johnson, a senior who plays the charming boss man Trevor Graydon in Thoroughly Modern Millie, was just accepted into University of Southern California’s prestigious film school. This is Haven’s fourteenth production on the Oakwood stage.
“All of the years spent in Oakwood drama have instilled in me a love of the arts, and I wouldn’t have been able to achieve what I’ve achieved without the experiences and opportunities at Oakwood,” said Johnson.
Oakwood’s program is unique in that each grade level does its own production (complete with music, costumes, lights) starting in first grade, so by the time students hit middle school they have been in at least five shows.
As part of the high school program, students learn improvisational acting, technical theater, acting basics, advanced acting, and even playwriting. For the bi-annual winter performing arts showcase, students work together to write one act plays that they direct and produce for performance. This means that drama is really part of the culture at Oakwood High – on average about 70 percent of the high school gets involved in the shows in one way or another.
“Thoroughly Modern Millie” is tapping its way to the Oakwood stage from April 15 through April 23. Performances are at 7 p.m. April 15, 16, 21, 22 and 23. There is also a matinee on April 16 at 1 p.m. Tickets are $10 for general admission and can be purchased at the door. The Oakwood Theater is located at 105 John Wilson Way, Morgan Hill. For more information about the show, please email [email protected].
