Springfield Little Theatre will present the musical "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying" at the Landers Theatre Thursday, May 4 through Sunday, May 20. Performances start at 7:30pm on Thursdays-Saturdays and at 2pm on Saturdays and Sundays. Power, ambition, greed…. It’s just another day at the office in this classic satire of big business that took Broadway by storm, winning seven Tony Awards and the 1962 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The musical follows the rise of J. Pierrepont Finch who uses a little handbook called "How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying" to climb the corporate ladder from lowly window washer to high-powered chairman of the board, tackling such familiar but potent dangers as the aggressively compliant “company man,” the office party, backstabbing coworkers, caffeine addiction, and true love. The show's score by Frank Loesser includes classics such as “I Believe in You,” “Brotherhood of Man,” and “The Company Way.” As you might expect, there is a definite "Mad Men"/early 1960's vibe to the show, for example in a song for the female lead called "Happy to Keep His Dinner Warm." Still, it's an irreverent romp jam-packed with sly, swift, and sharp jabs to the funny bone, cleverly lampooning on the corporate ladder.
Director Chyrel Love Miller points out that the Finch character--in fact the entire show--was written for singer-actor Robert Morse, who played Finch both on Broadway and in the movie version. And Morse was a brilliant ad-libber, so, she says, "There were no two shows that were ever alike!" (We're not sure if you can expect that kind of unpredictability in SLT's production... but you never know....)
SLT’s "How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying" features a cast of 49 and is directed and choreographed by Chyrel Love Miller with music direction by Susan Gravatt. The show is appropriate for audience members age 13 and over. Tickets range in price from $16-$36; group pricing is available for parties of 10 or more. For tickets call the Landers box office at 869-1334 or visit www.springfieldlittletheatre.org.
