Today we are continuing BroadwayWorld's month-long salute to the 2012 Tony Awards - which will take place June 10 on CBS - with a spectacular performance captured only last year, featuring three generations of J. Pierrepont Finches - originator Robert Morse, revival Tony Award-winner Matthew Broderick and Hollywood/Broadway crossover superstar Daniel Radcliffe - with the former two introducing the latter as he leads "Brotherhood Of Man" from the Pulitzer Prize-winning HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING, a true blue Broadway classic. Notably, HOW TO SUCCEED won seven Tony Awards at the 1962 ceremony, which was the sixteenth annual show in Tony Awards history.
Led by HARRY POTTER superstar Radcliffe in his first musical comedy role - onstage or onscreen - as well as that night's Tony-winner for Featured Actor In A Musical, John Larroquette, "Brotherhood Of Man" is one of the most memorable and classic of the songs in the swingin' 60s score of Frank Loesser's HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING, an appreciable feature magnified in Rob Ashford's spirited and sprightly staging of it, as can be sampled here in this thrilling Tony Award clip. When Radcliffe completed his year-long stint in the hit revival, GLEE star Darren Criss stepped in for a few weeks to much acclaim and huge box office returns, and, more recently, pop crossover personality Nick Jonas took over the lead role. This week, the producers announced that it will be closing on May 20, so now is your final chance to get a taste of this sleek and stylish revival of a modern American musical theatre classic before it vanishes from the Great White Way - after you partake in this tremendous Tony Awards clip, of course!
For comparison's sake, check out Matthew Broderick and the cast of the first Broadway revival of HOW TO SUCCEED, directed by Des McAnuff - similarly, also singing "Brotherhood Of Man" - on the 1995 Tony Awards by clicking here. So, who is your personal favorite J. Pierrepont Finch to date? While no clips of Robert Morse in the role exist, we do have the must-own original Broadway cast recording, and, also, we are lucky enough to be able to catch him every Sunday in full-on 60s business tycoon mode on AMC's MAD MEN. Do Matthew Broderick and/or Daniel Radcliffe fill his perfectly polished shoes or does Morse still run the board room? Furthermore, what is your favorite HOW TO SUCCEED song - is "Brotherhood Of Man" the best of the best? There are more gems in that superlative score than windows in a skyscraper!
