'Mrs. Miller Does Her Thing' at the Vineyard Playhouse

Wanna feel good?...wanna feel really good and happy and groovy again? Then get yourself over to see “Mrs. Miller Does Her Thing” live, onstage now through October 4 at the Vineyard Playhouse in Vineyard Haven.

Sounds of the 1960s
Script and music focus on Mrs. Elva Miller who, during the 1960s, hit the AM airwaves with her (painfully) unique interpretations of  pop music’s chart toppers.  Last Friday night, the full-house audience rocked along with happy enthusiasm as the young and immensely talented cast of backup singers took us all on a magic carpet ride through the events and sensibilities of the times. Laughs, appreciative of the spot-on dialogue and sly 60s frame of reference, came often.

But the story, delightful though it is, is only the vehicle.  The real reasons for seeing this show are the great music, the remarkably talented cast and the unexpected insights that gradually take shape as incidents and emotions are revealed, layer by layer, until the audience finds itself back in a time both cynical and innocent, idealistic yet mundane.

Broadway Comes to MV
As is the tradition for the Vineyard Playhouse summer season,  the cast is a hand-picked crew most of  whom have solid Broadway credentials. Debra Monk ( Mrs. Miller) has several Emmy and Tony nominations and awards to her credit while Brad Oscar (Ed Sullivan and others) is perhaps best known for his role as Max Bialystock in the Broadway production of The Producers, a role he inherited from Nathan Lane who opened the show.

A quick check of cast bios finds them liberally peppered with familiar titles including Broadway plays, popular television programs and industry award nominations.

With its stellar cast and captivating material, the possibility of  a Broadway run following in the footsteps of 'Dirty Blondes' which opened at the Vineyard Playhouse and continues to draw Broadway audiences even today, seems a real possibility. Save yourself the ferry fare and see it now at the Vineyard Playhouse.