Review: Eight O'Clock Theatre Presents HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING

Boy, do we need HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING right now. It's been a difficult week, full of vitriol and heartbreak for many, and we as a nation, as a community, need to escape. Thank God for Eight O'Clock Theatre and their decision to mount this brilliant musical, especially scheduling it this week. We need the joyous escape, the vibrancy and verve, that only great musical theatre can provide. With the exception of maybe She Loves Me, my choice for a perfect musical, Frank Loesser's HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING is the best thing we can see in this intense time of our lives.

The story is familiar and appropriately dated: In the early 1960's, J. Pierrepont Finch moves on up the corporate ladder with the aid of a self-help book entitled How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying. Yes, he goes from mere window washer to CEO of the World Wide Wicket Company. It's sort of like a bouncy musical version of Mad Men, only funnier and with really catchy songs. (In one of Mad Men's brilliant turns, they cast Broadway's original Finch, Robert Morse, in a choice morsel role on the long-running series.)

At EOT, Finch is played by Domenic Bisesti, and he is marvelously likable (he better be; if not, there is no show). He's so sprightly and energetic, possessing a killer smile; you can see how the people in the WWW are immediately drawn to him. And Bisesti possess a wonderful singing voice, put to full tilt on his "I Believe in You," which is the best version of the song I have heard.

As Finch's love, Rachel Crissman does well with her marvel of a voice, especially on "How to Keep His Dinner Warm." Rick Kistner (as J.B. Biggley), Sadra Bostick (as Smitty), Ashlyn Bigley (as Hedy LaRue) and Stephen Fee (as Bratt) do standout work. I was shocked by Fee's appearance at first; seeing him as Jesus in Jesus Christ Superstar, you would never recognize his bespectacled Bratt here. Talk about versatility!

Also, having veteran former news anchor, John Wilson, provide the voice of the book, How to Succeed Without Really Trying, is an absolute coup.

One of the great heels in musical theatre history is Bud Frump (what a great name!), and Jeremy Moranski offers a splendid singing voice and is appropriately annoying (you don't want him to succeed without really trying). The way he speaks, he reminds me at times of Johnny Depp as Ed Wood (in the Tim Burton movie Ed Wood). However, I miss the joyous Charles Nelson Reilly sauciness of Frump. Sure, we get his irritation, but some of his unearned arrogance is lacking; the role seems somewhat one note (and Moranski needs to enunciate at times).

The ensemble is one of the strongest groupings I've seen at EOT. All of their songs, including the addictive "Coffee Break" and powerful "Company Way," are glorious, with tight harmonies and fun choreography.

Amy Phillips' direction and choreography is top notched, though the show felt rather long at times (especially about halfway through Act 1). Tom Hansen's set is a masterpiece, with an elevator with movable elevator doors right smack dab in the set (sorry, it doesn't go up). And the windows present a sort of spider web over the proceedings of the WWW (effective lighting by Dalton Hamilton). It's an exquisite creation, but in a moment of sheer nip-picking, I wish the elevator buttons actually lit up. And Mr. Biggley sure sports a small office; could this be construed as an ironic wink or a phallic metaphor? And the board room table and chairs (with the exception of Mr. Biggley's) just didn't seem right. It felt low rent for these high-end mad men. With such a magnificent set, why did they settle for such a less-than-stellar board room table?

Terri Rick's costumes are more problematic. Some are perfect for the period, but others seemed more late 1960's hippy than early Sixties Mad Men pre-mod. But they are all over the place historically and seem thrown together without thought of specific period. This may be another nit-pick, but as Stephen Sondheim once proclaimed, "God is in the details."

HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING is one of those musicals that needs to be seen whenever or wherever it's done. This is a very good production of a great musical, one of the best-written shows of all time (with a book by Abe Burrows, Jack Weinstock and Willie Gilbert...and a Pulitzer Prize winner to boot). And we need as much joy now as we ever did. And this show has that, and then some. It's been a tough week, and we need a show that will help many of us get through it. With HOW TO SUCCEED, you'll laugh, and more importantly, you'll smile throughout. And boy do we need to smile these days! Don't miss it; it provides a heartily entertaining tonic for those in need of it.

HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING plays at the Central Park Performing Arts Center in Largo until November 13th.

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