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.”
The star's cause is not bolstered much by director-choreographer Rob Ashford. His concept for the early '60s satire of American business - the story of a smarmily engaging young man who lies his way to the top - is to stylistically turn up the volume, saturating the stage in candy colors and frantic dances. As a result, the musical's digs at corporate life, at the overgrown bureaucracy and ingrown elitism, lose the whiff of sophistication that Frank Loesser's score emits.
Making his first foray into musical comedy and stepping into a part made famous by Robert Morse, Radcliffe is a likable but very boyish presence. He shows off a pleasant singing voice as corporate climber J. Pierrepont Finch, but he's waxen and not animated enough to make Finch soar. His take on his character's personal pep talk, 'I Believe in You,' emerges dispiriting. Still, director-choreographer Rob Ashford's production is bright, cheerful and energetic, that's for sure. But at times its supersized mentality and occasionally garish qualities compete with the sleek and sophisticated brilliance of the material.
1961 | Broadway |
Original Broadway Production Broadway |
1963 | US Tour |
1st National Tour US Tour |
1963 | West End |
London Production West End |
1963 | US Tour |
2nd National Tour US Tour |
1965 | US Tour |
3rd National Tour US Tour |
1995 | Broadway |
Broadway Revival Broadway |
2011 | Broadway |
Broadway Revival Broadway |
2017 | West End |
Wilton's Music Hall Production West End |
2023 | West End |
West End |
Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
---|---|---|---|
2011 | BroadwayWorld Awards | Best Choreography | Rob Ashford |
2011 | BroadwayWorld Awards | Best Leading Actor in a Musical | Daniel Radcliffe |
2011 | BroadwayWorld Awards | Best Lighting Design | Howell Binkley |
2011 | BroadwayWorld Awards | Best Revival of a Musical | How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying |
2011 | BroadwayWorld Awards | Best Scenic Design | Derek McLane |
2011 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Actor in a Musical | Daniel Radcliffe |
2011 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Choreography | Rob Ashford |
2011 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Director of a Musical | Rob Ashford |
2011 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical | John Larroquette |
2011 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Musical | 0 |
2011 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Actor in a Musical | Daniel Radcliffe |
2011 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Choreography | Rob Ashford |
2011 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Director of a Musical | Rob Ashford |
2011 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical | John Larroquette |
2011 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Musical | 0 |
2011 | Theatre World Awards | Performance | John Larroquette |
2011 | Theatre World Awards | Performance | Rose Hemingway |
2011 | Tony Awards | Best Choreography | Rob Ashford |
2011 | Tony Awards | Best Costume Design of a Musical | Catherine Zuber |
2011 | Tony Awards | Best Direction of a Musical | Rob Ashford |
2011 | Tony Awards | Best Lighting Design of a Musical | Howell Binkley |
2011 | Tony Awards | Best Orchestrations | Doug Besterman |
2011 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical | John Larroquette |
2011 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical | Tammy Blanchard |
2011 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Musical | Michael Speyer-Bernie Abrams/Jacki Florin-Adam Blanshay/TBS Service |
2011 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Musical | Larry Kaye/Paul Chau/Daniel Frishwasser/Michael Jackowitz |
2011 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Musical | Hop Theatricals |
2011 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Musical | Two Left Feet Productions/PowerArts |
2011 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Musical | Jen Namoff/Fakstone Productions |
2011 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Musical | Hilary A. Williams |
2011 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Musical | Takonkiet Viravan/Scenario Thailand |
2011 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Musical | Candy Spelling |
2011 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Musical | Michael McCabe/Joseph Smith |
2011 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Musical | Neil Meron |
2011 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Musical | Craig Zadan |
2011 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Musical | Broadway Across America |
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