Porchlight's 'HOW TO SUCCEED' Opens 4/29

Porchlight Music Theatre and Managing Artistic Director Michael Weber are proud to announce the Tony Award-winning and Pulitzer Prize-winning How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, April 26 - June 1 at Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont Ave. The classic musical comedy, with book by Abe Burrows, Jack Weinstock and Willie Gilbert and songs by Frank Loesser features direction by Porchlight Artistic Associate Rob Lindley, music direction by Kory Danielson, in his Porchlight debut and choreography by Porchlight Artistic AssociateBrenda Didier. Previews are Saturday, April 26 at 8 p.m., Sunday, April 27 at 2 and 6 p.m. and Monday, April 28 at 7:30 p.m. Opening/press night is Tuesday, April 29 at 7:30 p.m. The regular run schedule is Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 4 and 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. There is an added matinee performance Thursday, May 29 at 1 p.m. Tickets are $30 for previews and $43.50 for all other performances. Single tickets are on sale now and may be purchased online at porchlightmusictheatre.org or by phone at Stage 773, 773.327.5252. Groups of ten or more may receive discounts on tickets purchased via Group Theater Tix at 312.423.6612 or grouptheatertix.com.

How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, is based on the best-selling 1952 book of the same name. This satirical look at big business follows the rise of one "J. Pierrepont Finch" (Tyler Ravelson) who uses a little How to... handbook to climb the corporate ladder from lowly window was her to high-powered executive. Finch, with song and dance numbers from Loesser's prize winning score, navigates the dangers of the aggressively compliant "company man," the office party, backstabbing co-workers, caffeine addiction and, of course, true love.

How to Succeed... premiered on Broadway with Robert Morse and Rudy Vallee as the leads and musical staging by Bob Fosse in 1961 and ran for more than 1400 performances, as well as garnering seven Tony Awards, the New York Drama Critics Circle award and the 1962 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The production inspired a 1967 film version with Morse and Vallee and a variety of revivals featuring Matthew Broderick, Daniel Radcliffe, Nick Jonas, Darren Criss, Ralph Macchio, Megan Mullally, John Larroquette, Beau Bridges and Roger Bart.

The Porchlight How to Succeed... cast also includes Elizabeth Telford (Rosemary), Fred Zimmerman (Mr. Biggley), John Keating (Bud Frump), Sharriese Hamilton (Smitty,) Sarah Hayes (Krumholtz/Scrub/Ensemble), Iris Lieberman (Miss Jones), Emily Rogers (Hedy LaRue), Lexi Lyric(Secretary/Scrub/Ensemble), Matthias Austin (Twimble/Whomper/Matthews), Jason Grimm (Bratt), Christopher Straw (Jenkins), Danny Spanguolo (Peterson/Davis/Waiter/Security), Christopher Kelley (Johnson/Coffee Man/Ensemble), Patrick Martin (Tackaberry/Ovington/TV),Michael Kingston (Gatch/Toynbee), Lindsay Prerost (Ensemble), Marina Kondo (Ensemble) and honored television journalist, producer, narrator and news anchor Bill Kurtis as the "Voice of the Book."

The How to Succeed... production team includes Bill Morey (costume designer), Erik Barry (lighting designer), Jeffrey Kmiec (scenic designer), Jenna Moran(sound designer), Kevin Barthel (wig designer,), Heather Townsend (assistant director,), Dina DiCostanzo (assistant choreographer,), Julia Zayas-Melendez(stage manager) and Aaron Shapiro (production manager.).

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