HOW TO SUCCEED... at San Diego Musical Theatre
San Diego Musical Theatre’s “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying” is the kind of Golden Age musical that feels like it was preserved in amber—bright, brassy, deeply catchy, and proudly absurd. This is the past as we like to caricature it: like “Mad Men” where men in suits strut like roosters, women can absolutely have jobs (as secretaries), and the ultimate dream is still finding a powerful man who will pay for you to stay home and keep his dinner warm. Satire, yes. Subtle, absolutely not.
Before anything else: this show is a period piece but a charming one. Thanks to the performers, Frank Loesser’s score remains relentlessly tuneful and sharp, and even the more questionable songs sound great. The joy here is in it being a musical comedy doing what it does best - silly, singable, shenanigans on stage.
At the center of the corporate climb is Frankie Errington as J. Pierrepont Finch, the ambitious window washer who cons his way up the ladder with the help of a self-help book and a lot of nerve. Errington is disarmingly cute, with a keen sense of mischief and a wide-eyed, “who, me?” face worthy of Dennis the Menace getting away with murder. Finch may be manipulative, but Errington keeps him likable—which is no small feat when the character is cheerfully stepping on everyone in his path.
Jasmine January is a delight as Rosemary, the sweet, starry-eyed secretary whose dream is domestic bliss in New Rochelle with “Ponty.” January brings warmth and comic timing to a role that could easily flatten into cliché, grounding Rosemary’s longing with genuine charm. Meanwhile, Robert J. Townsend, as always, is exceptional—here as J.B. Biggley, the corporate boss who is a dashing and demanding boss (who knits!) but is also a cowardly cad.
As the weaselly nephew Bud Frump, Zane Camacho is gloriously awful in the best way. He pouts, plots, and blackmails his way upward with cartoon villain energy. Finch may be conning his way to the top, but at least he’s putting in the work; Frump is pure nepotism with a tantrum.
Frankie Errington as J. Pierrepont Finch
- photo by Karli Cadel
Director Omri Schein leans fully into the show’s zany cartoon logic, guiding a large cast with sharp comic instincts and physical comedy that keeps the evening buoyant despite its length. Xavier J. Bush’s choreography adds polish and scale, making the production feel bigger than the room, while Patricia Lutz’s colorful ’60s costumes and Mike Buckley’s flexible set, with some wonderfully complimentary and colorful lighting by Sammy Webster and Joshua Heming, complete the candy-coated corporate suite..
“How to Succeed…” remains a slick, silly, and sharply performed romp—one that knows exactly what kind of absurd world it’s skewering, and does so with a grin.
How To Get Tickets
“How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying” is running through March 1st at San Diego Musical Theatre. For ticket and showtime information, go to www.sdmt.org