Long before Don Draper personified the cool, corporate “Mad Men” executive of the 1960s, “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying” tackled the same topic as a Broadway musical. And nearly 60 years later, The Alhambra Theatre & Dining’s production of this popular show succeeds in skewering a corporate culture that really hasn’t changed all that much from the ’60s.
“How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying” centers on J. Pierrepont “Ponty” Finch, a lowly window washer who, armed only with the self-help book of the show’s title, bluffs and blusters his way up the corporate ladder of a large company. Along the way, he encounters many of the same peeves and pitfalls encountered by white-collar workers today.
Nepotism? Check out Bud Frump, the boss’s sniveling, sneaky and supremely unqualified nephew. Old school connections? Better let the boss think you went to the same college he did. Office romances and infidelities? “How to Succeed” has them in spades.
Many of the show’s songs, in fact, address some of the common corporate problems still around today. In “The Company Way,” a mid-level manager instructs Ponty in the fine art of corporate camouflage, keeping your head down and your mouth closed so that no matter what happens to the company or who gets fired, your job will always be secure. “I Believe in You” – sung by Ponty to his own reflection in the executive washroom mirror – pokes fun at the culture of positive self-affirmations. And in today’s era of #metoo and heightened awareness of sexual harassment, “A Secretary is Not a Toy” seems positively prophetic.
The Alhambra is known for the quality of the musical theatre talent it attracts to Jacksonville, and the “How to Succeed” cast is among the best to grace the stage at the nation’s oldest continuously operating dinner theatre. As J. Pierrepont Finch, Christopher Lewis brings just the right combination of boyish charm and bravado to the role, and his ringing tenor vocals are outstanding. Similarly, Lindsay Nantz shines as secretary Rosemary, conveying a sunny, chipper ’60s optimism with her Broadway-quality voice. Ricky Cona’s Bud Frump is the smarmy office backstabber you love to hate, while Maddie Bryan relished her role as Hedy, the boss’s mistress.
If life in the office hasn’t changed all that much since the 1960s, “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying” proves it helps to at least be able to laugh about it.
How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying runs at The Alhambra Theatre & Dining through March 22. For tickets or more information, visit www.alhambrajax.com.
