How-to-Succeed-In-Business-Without-Really-Trying-Website-Banner
May 1, 2022 7:00 PM
Alex Theatre
1310 11th Street, Santa Monica, CA 90401
View on Google Maps

How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying

Book by
Abe Burrows, Jack Weinstock, and Willie Gilbert
Music & Lyrics by
Frank Loesser
Based on the book by
Shepherd Mead

Musical Theatre Guild, the winner of the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Margaret Harford Award for sustained excellence in the theatre, will celebrate their 25th Anniversary season with How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying.

Big business means big laughs in this delightfully clever lampoon of life on the corporate ladder. A tune-filled comic gem that took Broadway by storm, winning both the Tony Award for Best Musical and a Pulitzer Prize, How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying boasts an exhilarating score by Frank Loesser, including “I Believe in You,” “Brotherhood of Man” and “The Company Way.”

How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying has been revived several times on Broadway and has been made into a successful motion picture. Now, Musical Theatre Guild, a proud Resident Company of the Alex Theatre, will present its’ own unique spin on this beloved musical with a live-on-stage concert presentation, featuring some of Southern California’s finest performers.

A satire of big business and all it holds sacred, How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying follows the rise of J. Pierrepont Finch, who uses a little handbook called How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying to climb the corporate ladder from a lowly window washer to high-powered executive, tackling such familiar but potent dangers as the aggressively compliant “company man,” the office party, backstabbing coworkers, caffeine addiction and, of course, true love.

An irreverent and tuneful romp, jam-packed with sly, swift, and sharp jabs to the funny bone, How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying is a surefire hit you must come see!

https://youtu.be/kpUCPhq8Tec

Smitty on Smitty

 

Smitty on Smitty logo for How to Succeed in Business

Katie DeShan who played Smitty in Musical Theatre Guild’s production of How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying interviews Claudette Sutherland who created the role in the Original Broadway production opposite Robert Morse.

https://youtu.be/CdHE4uJyV9Y


In Memoriam: The Passing of Robert Morse

MTG mourns the passing of TONY, EMMY, and SAG AWARD-winning stage and screen star Robert Morse, who rose to fame creating the role of Finch in the 1961 original Broadway production of HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING.  In addition to being a one-of-a-kind creative talent, he was a gracious and generous human being who offered his time, perspective, and help during rehearsals for our own productions of SUGAR in 2017 ( in which he originated the role of Jerry/Daphne) and TAKE ME ALONG in 2000 (in which he originated the role of Richard Miller). 

https://youtu.be/tHEVwwISkBM

We had hoped to reconnect with him as we prepare for our own production of HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING on May 1, 2022, but we will take inspiration from all he left behind, both artistically and personally.

Check out Robert as Finch in these production photos from the original Broadway cast of HOW TO SUCCEED!

Cast

Travis Leland
Finch
Chelsea Morgan Stock
Rosemary
Melissa Fahn
Hedy
Thomas Ashworth
Biggley
Todd Gajdusek
Todd Gajdusek
Gatch
Bryan Chesters
Bratt
James Gleason
Twimble/Womper
Joshua Finkel
Bud Frump
Katie DeShan
Katie DeShan
Smitty
Jennifer Bennett
Krumholtz
Kim Yarbrough
Kim Yarbrough *
Miss Jones
Brent Schindele
Executives/Ensemble
Mark Reis
Mark Reis
Executives/Ensemble
Paul Wong
Executives/Ensemble
Kevin Matsumoto
Executives/Ensemble
Nancy Lam
Secretaries/Ensemble
Sharon Logan
Sharon Logan *
Secretaries/Ensemble
Susan Edwards Martin
Voice of the Book
* Guest Artist

Production Photos

Reviews


MUSICAL THEATRE GUILD KNOWS HOW TO SUCCEED
The news here is that Musical Theatre Guild — which has offered some of the finest nights in the theater with their staged-reading concerts — is once again live with Broadway performers, choreography, and a teeny tiny band at the Alex Theatre to bring us this swinging comedy. Alas, this one-time-only magical affair played only one night. It’s fascinating how enjoyable MTG’s concerts are given there are no sets, minimal costumes, 25-hour rehearsals, and scripts in actors’ hands (an Equity rule).
— Tony Frankel for Stage and Cinema

Creative Team

Director
Yvette Lawrence
Musical Director
Dan Redfeld
Choreographer
Cheryl Baxter
Production Supervision
Susan Edwards Martin

Program

Scroll to Top