Naperville native loves sidekick role in 'Millie'
Dara Cameron plays the perky, slightly daffy sidekick Miss Dorothy Brown in Drury Lane Oak Brook's current production of "Thoroughly Modern Millie." In life she seems just as perky, though much less daffy. In fact, Cameron, who uses words like "antithesis" as naturally as high schoolers text OMG, seems more like a teacher than your stereotypical actress.
"It is important as an actor to be well versed in different cultures," Cameron says. "You have to know what you are talking about to be convincing."
She comes by her academic bent naturally. "Both of my parents are social studies teachers," Cameron says. "And I graduated Northwestern University in 2006 with a minor in European History."
Her major was theater, though, with a certificate in music theater. Her first stage production was years earlier, back in the second grade, when she played a dancing cat in a community theater production of "Snow White." "With that show I discovered I liked being on stage," Cameron says. "I found my niche."
She was also involved in theater at Naperville Central High School.
"In my first big part I got to play Dorothy in 'The Wizard of Oz,'" Cameron says.
The part is a natural for Cameron, who with her wavy dark hair and dark eyes looks a lot like the character made famous by Judy Garland. No surprise, then, that she has played Dorothy three times since she graduated college.
"'The Wizard of Oz' will always have a special place in my heart," she says.
Cameron plays another Dorothy in "Thoroughly Modern Millie."
"Miss Dorothy Brown is the antithesis of Millie in a lot of ways," Cameron says. "She is an orphan from an affluent family. She wants to slum it for a while and finds joy in the seedy hotel (where most of the story takes place). She loves the fact that you have to tap dance in the elevator to make it go up and down."
Early in the show Dorothy meets Millie and they bond immediately. "They are just what the other needed," Cameron says. "They form a very sweet friendship."
Her character is not as modern as Millie. "I don't get a bob and my clothes are of a different era," Cameron says. "Miss Dorothy Brown is kind of stuck in the past. My songs have a kind of turn-of-the-century light opera feel to them."
Cameron is thrilled to be co-starring in this show. "It was one of the first shows I ever saw on Broadway," she says. "It is fantastic musical comedy."
• "Thoroughly Modern Millie" runs through Dec. 20 at Drury Lane Oak Brook, 100 Drury Lane, Oakbrook Terrace. For tickets call the box office, (630) 530-0111 or Ticketmaster (312) 559-1212, or visit www.drurylaneoakbrook.com.