Daniel Radcliffe will make his Broadway musical debut as J. Pierrepont Finch in a new production of the Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning musical comedy HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING opening at Broadway's Al Hirschfeld Theatre (302 West 45th Street) Sunday, March 27, 2011, at 5pm. Radcliffe has just completed his decade-long, critically-acclaimed performance starring as Harry Potter in the largest grossing franchise in motion picture history. Directed and choreographed by Tony and Emmy Award-winner Rob Ashford, HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING has a book by Abe Burrows, Jack Weinstock and Willie Gilbert, based on Shepherd Mead's satirical self-help book of the same name and music and lyrics by Frank Loesser. Further casting will be announced shortly. The 50th Anniversary production of HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING begins previews Saturday, February 26, 2011, at 8pm, and is produced by Broadway Across America (John Gore, Thomas B. McGrath, Beth Williams), Craig Zadan, Neil Meron, Joseph Smith, Michael McCabe, and Candy Spelling.
Tickets for HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING go on sale exclusively to American Express cardholders Tuesday, July 13, at 12:01am, at Telecharge.com (212-239-6200) with preferred seating available to American Express Gold Card, Platinum Card and Centurion members. Tickets go on sale to the general public Saturday, July 31, at 12:01am. Tickets for HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING range from $52 - $132, and the playing schedule is as follows: Tuesday at 7pm, Wednesday through Saturday at 8pm, with matinees Wednesday and Saturday at 2pm and Sunday at 3pm. Please note that during previews Tuesday performances are at 8pm.
Following the advice of a book entitled "How to Succeed in Business" a young window-cleaner, J. Pierrepont Finch, begins a meteoric rise from the mail-room to Vice President of Advertising at the World-Wide Wicket Company. Finch's unorthodox and morally-questionable business practices jeopardize not only his career but also his romance with secretary Rosemary Pilkington. With a beloved score by Frank Loesser, HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING is packed with hit standards such as "I Believe in You," "Happy to Keep His Dinner Warm," "The Company Way," "Been a Long Day," "Rosemary," and "Brotherhood of Man."
HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING opened to critical acclaim at the 46TH Street Theatre (Richard Rodgers) on Broadway in October 1961, running for 1,417 performances. The cast starred Robert Morse as Finch, Bonnie Scott as Rosemary, Charles Nelson Reilly as Bud Frump, and Rudy Vallee as the President of the World-Wide Wicket Company. The show won seven Tony Awards including best musical and best book, the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for best musical, a Grammy for best original cast show album, and is one of only eight musicals to win the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. In 1967, a film based on the musical was released by United Artists, with Morse and Vallee recreating their Broadway roles and Michele Lee as Rosemary. The 1995 Broadway revival stared Matthew Broderick as Finch and Megan Mullally as Rosemary.
