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If it were written today, the musical comedy "How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying" might have to be renamed,"How to Succeed in Finding a Job." But unlike now, when the show opened on Broadway, in 1961, times were prosperous. So "How to Succeed's" hilarious story of an ambitious window-washer who uses his wiles and a how-to book to break into the executive suite wasn't completely outside the realm of possibility. Part Horatio Alger rags-to-riches success story, part spoof of self-important buttoned-down corporate executives, this big-time Broadway musical deconstructed the world of work, and the maneuvering of the colorful characters employed by World Wide Wicket.In its original run, Robert Morse starred as J. Pierrepoint Finch, the window-washer and old-time singer Rudy Vallee played World Wide Wicket's CEO, whom Finch cozies up to. The show's creative team of Frank Loesser and Abe Burrows were also the geniuses behind "Guys and Dolls." With "How to Succeed," they crafted another hilarious show with witty music. Garnering a Pulitzer Prize and seven Tony Awards, "How to Succeed" struck a nerve with audiences and ran on Broadway for 1,400 performances. In a 1995 Broadway revival, Matthew Broderick won the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical. NY Times critic Vincent Canby wrote about that production: "Most important, it has the marvelous Loesser score and an unusually crafty book, at the center of which is the most endearingly flawed character ever to scheme his way from window-washer to the top of the corporate ladder. He's J. Pierrepont Finch, the role that made a star of Robert Morse and now provides the deceptively gentle-mannered Matthew Broderick with the breakout opportunity of his theatrical career. Beneath that earnest boy-next-door exterior, J. Pierrepont Finch is an epically gifted opportunist, a fellow with both eyes on the main chance when he arrives at World Wide Wicket."Don't miss your chance to catch this clever show at Goodspeed Opera House, where "How to Succeed" runs from September 24- November 28. Brian Sears, who has appeared on Broadway in the revivals of "Grease," "Finians Rainbow" and "Lend Me a Tenor," stars as the inventive window washer, J. Pierrpont Finch. Tickets are $70.50 and $74.50. For more informaiton, visit Goodspeed's website.
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