It is, at its core, a thoroughly American scene: A bewildered girl from the country, carrying little more than a suitcase and her dreams, walking wide-eyed through Manhattan. She is quickly engulfed by a crowd of youths-a virtual sea of girls in short, sophisticated dresses, bright colors and bobbed hair. This is the era of Prohibition, when things weren't yet so bad that a little dancing couldn't dull the sorrows of reality. Thoroughly Modern Millie, staged this weekend by the Hillel Theatre Group, is the story of Millie Dillmount (Missy Mlotek '09), who yearns for a life beyond Kansas and travels to New York looking for that missing spark. She moves into the Hotel Priscilla, owned by Mrs. Meers (Yael Mazor '08) and quickly befriends the other aspiring actresses there. Millie intends to marry someone rich, so she searches for a job whose boss would be an eligible bachelor. After finding work at the Sincere Trust Insurance Co., where the desirable Trevor Graydon (Avram Mlotek '09) calls the shots, Millie thinks her problems are solved. However, Jimmy Smith (Jacob Lazar '09) continually distracts her, vying for her affection. But Millie, influenced by her friends, will not let herself fall in love with a man who isn't from the upper crust of society.

The show, performed in the Shapiro Theater, was driven by the strength of its cast. Mlotek captured the essence of Millie. Her demeanor convincingly changed over the course of the play, from the bewildered newcomer to the confident, sophisiticated New Yorker.

Yet it was Mazor's performance as Mrs. Meers that stole the show. The part called for an exaggerated Chinese-American caricature, as well as that of a conniving actress shunned by the theaters of Broadway-Meers searches for lonely girls to come into her hotel so she can sell them, essentially, into white slavery. Her secret plotting dripped frighteningly in every word she spoke. Mazor's maniacally evil laugh and frequent bursts of frustration were so dramatically and wonderfully overdone, particularly when her foreign henchmen failed to understand her words.

The elaborate sets were believable, but minimal enough that the show moved fluidly. Costumes impressively added to the minimal grace of the sets, especially in a scene when Millie and her friends go to a speakeasy, all wearing dresses with layer after layer of fringe. Every step the characters took seemed like a dance move as thousands of threads trembled back and forth with every body motion.

The realism of the atmosphere was further abetted by director Jason Fenster '08, who said he worked closely with the actors to help them relate to their characters. "I direct them the way I like to be directed," he said. "When it comes down to it, it's not me on stage."

Open-casting musicals like Millie always have the potential for less-than-optimal music; absolutely anyone can be in the ensemble. Fortunately, this was far from the case. The ensemble was well-synchronized, and more experienced performers were placed in the front. In one song, Hannah King '08, who has choreographed other HTG musicals,suprised the audience with a cartwheel.

By the end of the show, toes were tapping to a score that was immensely hummable. As the cast members bowed, they were greeted with a heartfelt standing ovation for creating a well-crafted illusion that took everyone's mind off midterms.

Thoroughly Modern Millie proved to be one of the Hillel Theater Group's best performances this year. On top of its already riveting plot, it triumphed through excellent production and good, plain fun.