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.”
You start hoping for the best. Radcliffe's charm quotient is high, he showed significant stage chops two seasons ago in 'Equus,' and he grew up loving musical theater. In the opening number he displays a thin but true singing voice. But by the time he and a subdued Rob Bartlett get through Loesser's hilarious paean to yes men, 'The Company Way,' without generating a single laugh, it's clear we're in trouble. Once we get to Finch's Act 2 showstopper 'I Believe in You,' and Radcliffe merely stands there staring determinedly in the washroom mirror during the instrumental fills designed to give Morse room for sublime bits of comic business, well, the jig has long been up.
Yet the thing that makes Radcliffe appealing as the amoral Finch is also a thing that limits him: You can tell that he is really trying. His timing is sharp, his dancing precise, his American accent impeccable; but his singing is shaky, and he doesn’t quite have the demonic spark of self-assurance that made Robert Morse a star in the role. (When he sings “I Believe in You” to himself in the mirror, it seems less a self-love song than a pep talk.)
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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