Tabor Academy presents the popular musical “How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying!” on February 23-25 at 7:30 PM on the stage of Fireman Auditorium, Hoyt Hall on the Tabor campus. A cast and crew of over 45 students have teamed up this winter to bring this Pulitzer Prize-winning musical to life. The lead role of J. Pierpont Finch, a window washer who cons his way to become CEO of the World Wide Wicket Company, is played by Oliver Palmer ‘13 of Owensboro, Kentucky. Rosemary, Finch’s secretary and eventual wife, is played by Claire Knowlton ‘13 of Milford, MA. Other principle roles include Cal Heavey ‘12 of Marion as Bud Frump, the spoiled nephew of the boss, J.B. Biggley, who is played by Joe Coffey ‘13 of East Dennis, MA; Izzie Grover ‘12 of Marion who plays Smitty, Rosemary’s best friend; Claire Chatinover ‘13 of Edgartown, MA as Hedy LaRue, Biggley’s love interest; Rachel Petri ‘12 of Rochester as Miss Jones, Biggley’s secretary; Chapman Hyatt ’13 of Evergreen, Colorado as Bratt the personnel manager; and Jacob Swift ’12 of Fairhaven as Twimble the head of the mailroom. The production staff includes John M. Heavey as the director, David Horne, the music director, Richard Van Voris the technical director, Danielle LaTulippe, the choreographer, Annemarie Ferdericks and Ruth Finnie the costume designers, and Molly Hanson ’13 of Tiverton, RI as the stage manager.
“How to Succeed” (or “H2$” as it is currently known on Broadway) opened on Broadway in October 1961, running for 1,417 performances. Starring Robert Morse in the lead role of Finch, the show won seven Tony Awards, the New York Drama Critics Circle award, and the 1962 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. In 1967, a film based on the musical was released by United Artists, with many of the original cast recreating their roles. A 1995 revival was mounted at the same theatre as the original production ran for 548 performances and starred Matthew Broderick and Megan Mullally. A 50th anniversary Broadway revival directed and choreographed by Rob Ashford and starring Daniel Radcliffe and John Larroquette opened on March 27, 2011, at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre where it is still enjoying a robust run.
H2$ continues to draw enthusiastic audiences for the past forty years. A terrific line-up of songs written by Frank Loesser (“I Believe in You,” ‘The Brotherhood of Man”) powered by witty lyrics matches a clever story by Abe Burrows that satirically skewers the American corporate culture of the late 50’s and early 60’s. With its overt sexism and corporate promotion based on personality rather than performance, the world of H2$ may seem distant from our own ostensibly P.C. culture. Yet, The World Wide Wicket Corporation may well remind audiences of the corporate culture of today!