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!

Smitty on Smitty

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.

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). 

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!