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How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying by Starlight Musical Theatre  The secret is out – and it’s all published in the little
book How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying which gives any
ambitious, young reader step-by-step instructions on how to rise from window
washer to chairman of the board. Enter the seemingly meek, but supremely
confident, J. Pierrepont Finch. Watch and learn as he coolly brown-noses,
cleverly schemes, and carefully manipulates office politics to propel him
forward up the corporate ladder of World Wide Wickets. But can he also avoid
such potential pitfalls as office romances? And does he really want to???
Originally produced on Broadway in 1961, this revamped musical production and multiple-Tony winner currently playing at the Starlight Bowl is a thoroughly fun and entertaining little show. James Benjamin Cooper, who was so superbly cold and loathsome as the pro-slavery representative from South Carolina in last summer’s 1776, here turns in another superb performance in a completely different role as that meekly nice but scheming and brown-nosing Finch who you can’t help but root for as he weaves his way up the company’s organizational chart. Jennifer Shelton is irresistibly cute as Rosemary the receptionist whose best flirting takes a while to distract the single-minded Finch. And Finch does have to concentrate, as he’s up against the company president’s crafty nephew Bud Fump – a nerdy villain you love to hate performed with hilariously nerdish villainy by Scott Dreier. Then add to the mix the voluptuous and quintessentially dumb blonde Hedy (Lisanne Christensen) who is using a quite different strategy to get ahead. Lisanne’s hysterical talk and walk, spot-on comedic timing, not to mention all her other … features, heats the comedy and the plot up tremendously. The show also boasts some fine ensemble work including the
outrageous personnel manager Bratt (Randall Dodge) who goes more than a
little nuts over Hedy and who also, on the night that I went, did some quick
thinking to save a scene when a technical glitch threatened to bring things to
a halt, earning him a huge ovation. Susan Stuber is terrific as
Rosemary’s helpful friend Smitty. Lee Rob Hopper ~ Cast ~
 J. Pierrepont Finch: James Benjamin CooperGatch: Paul Morgavo Jenkins: Barron Henzel Tackaberry: Charles Hand Davis: Philip Golden J.B. Biggley: Paul Keith Rosemary: Jennifer Shelton Bratt: Randall Dodge Smitty: Susan Stuber Frump: Scott Dreier Miss Jones: Lee Lampard Mr. Twimble: Steve Richards Hedy: Lisanne Christensen Scrubwomen: Kimberly Messina and Lynexia Dawn Owens Miss Krumholtz: Holly MacDonald Toynbee: Paul Morgavo Ovington: Kurt Norby Womper: Steve Richards Jolly Wickets and Wickettes: Carl Asencio Sam Cavanaugh Annette Desrosiers Rachel Goldschneider Brian Hammond Kristen Howarth Kathleen MacNeil Braden McKinley Ensemble: David Ainsworth Carl Asencio Sam Cavanaugh Annette Desrosiers Philip Golden Rachel Goldschneider Brian Hammond Charles Hand Barron Henzel Kristen Howarth Kathleen MacNeil Braden McKinley Kimberly Messina Kurt Norby Lynexia Dawn Owens Kelli Sides Director: Dan Regas Costume Design: Kathy Auckland Lighting Design: Eric Lotze Sound Design: Mark Hartshorn Additional Choreography: Annette Nixon Musical Director: Parmer Fuller Stage Manager: Debbie Luce |
Lampard is a riot as the secretary
for the company president who lets her hair down for the big Brotherhood of
Man scene at the end. And the Jolly Wickets and Wickettes help make Finch’s
biggest flop – a television show for a scavenger hunt featuring singing pirates
led by Hedy the Pirate Queen – a big success.