University of Virginia Library

STAGE

'How To Succeed'—And How!

By Steve Wells
Cavalier Daily Staff Writer

The Albemarle Playhouse, our
local dinner theatre, has had some
popular musical successes since it
opened last August, but I'd bet my
critic's security blanket that their
latest offering, "How to Succeed in
Business Without Really Trying,"
which opened Friday night, will
surpass them all and set a few house
records before its run is over.

Top Notch Material

The reason is simple. In the past
few months, the Playhouse has
presented "Once Upon a Mattress,"
"I Do! I Do!," and "Carnival," all
of which are Grade B musicals. But
now, alas, they have top notch
material to work with and, for the
most part, they work with it well.

"How to Succeed" is
unquestionably among the ten
finest musicals to come out of the
sixties. Its book, by Abe Burrows,
Jack Weinstock, and Willie Gilbert,
is a sharp, witty satire on the
modern business world, beautifully
structured, fast moving, and loaded
with outrageously exaggerated
characters, amusing situations, and
hilarious one-liners. The score by
the late Frank Loesser is, for my
money, the best he ever wrote. His
work for "Guys and Dolls" was
very good, but every song in "How
to Succeed"-from the tender
"Happy to Keep His Dinner Warm"
to the rousing "Brotherhood of
Man"-has a special charm and
tunefulness, and that is no minor
achievement.

The story of J. Pierrepont
Finch, the boy wonder window
washer who conquers the business
world and makes it to the top of
World Wide Wickets simply by
reading a book (don't you wish it
were that easy in real life!) and
using his ingenuity, has been
adeptly staged in the round by
Albemarle's own boy wonder,
David Harper. He makes good use
of the arena stage, moves the
action smoothly, and, with only
two exceptions, has extracted
strong performances from his
troupe.

Not Cunning

The major disappointment is,
unfortunately, the playing of Finch
by Mr. Harper himself. He makes
the character likeable enough, but
he doesn't put Finch across as the
sly rascal the script presents him as.
The intelligence and cunning which
guide the hero are missing, as Mr.
Harper occasionally seems to still
be playing dumb Prince Dauntless
in "Once Upon a Mattress." It's not
so much a bad performance Mr.
Harper does have a winning stage
presence as an incomplete one;
half of the character just isn't there.
This, of course, is one of the
dangers of an actor directing
himself.

Appealing Rosemary

The others, except for Michael
O'Dare who terribly overplays the
personnel head, do fine jobs. Pretty
Sharman Harper makes an
appealing Rosemary for Finch to
fall in love with, and Patrick Stoner
has a field day with the role of the
boss' spoiled nephew, Bud Frump.
Russell Gustafson as big boss J.B.
Biggley could hardly do better, and
his singing of his college fight song,
"Grand Old Ivy," with Mr. Harper
is the high point of the evening.
Joyce Stoner turns in a delightful
characterization of that
"bubbleheaded tomato" Hedy
LaRue, and Ann Ault and the rest
handle their chores efficiently.

Despite a few verbal miscues on
opening night, a piano which has
seen its better days, and Mr.
Harper's incomplete portrayal of
Finch, it's a fun evening which I
unhesitatingly recommend. The
Albemarle Playhouse must have
their own book on how to succeed,
for they have done just that.

—Ed.)