A couple of weeks ago, I had the privilege of taking performance photos for Sunset Playhouse's summer production of the musical "How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying". The musical is perfect for fans of the AMC cable show "Mad Men", since both focus on the world of advertising agencies in the mid-1960's. "How To Succeed in Business", though, does so with great musical numbers like "Brotherhood of Man" and "The Company Way".
"How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying" is based upon Shepherd Mead's satirical bestseller of the same name. The musical, which originally starred Robert Morse (aka Bert Cooper of Sterling/Cooper/Draper/Price on "Mad Men") was written by Frank Loesser, Abe Burrows, Jack Weinstock and Willie Gilbert and opened on Broadway in 1961. There was also a revival in 1995 which featured Matthew Broderick, and another in 2011 which starred Daniel Radcliff and John Larroquette (one of my favorite actors). I admit I have not seen any of the previous versions (a film adaptation featured Morse in the role of J. Pierrepont Finch in 1967), and I believe that is a good thing. I had no preconceived ideas of how the show should look and feel, and I think the cast and crew did an amazing job!
I have to send out special recognition to Jake Konrath, who played the role of Finch, in this production. He has a natural charm that is integral to the part, and his singing voice is excellent. Additional kudos go out to Samantha Paige who vamped her way to perfection as Finch's sexy assistant Hedy LaRue. I also saw her in Sunset's production of "Lucky Stiff", and I think she has exceptional talent to play any role that comes her way. And I can't send enough compliments to Mark Neufang, who plays Finch's nemesis Bud Frump, and played the part with just the right mix of animosity and pity. I had the pleasure of working with Mark at Waukesha Civic Theatre in the early 2000's as Stage Manager of their production of "My Fair Lady" so I was happy to see him in such a great role and handle it amazingly.
Not only was the cast amazing, but the choreography by Reginald Kurschner and the set design by A.J. Simon were some of the best I have ever seen. I am a huge fan of mid-century design and Simon's design was colorful, dynamic and a perfect example of the times. The sparse set allowed easy movement of additional set pieces such as stairs, desks and even a 1960's coffee machine.
All in all, Sunset Playhouse's production of "How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying" is a very fun production that takes you away from your everyday problems. Come spend an evening with the staff of the World Wide Wicket Company and J. Pierrepont Finch and see how fun the office world can be. Tickets can be found here.
