MM Theater Blog

How to succeed on Broadway with a musical comedy? One surefire way is to cast Daniel Radcliffe and John Larroquette in the lead roles! Of course that kind of star power will attract a wide audience, and also a young audience, due to Radcliffe's fame in the Harry Potter films. But that aside, the truth is that they are both really that good! Daniel Radcliffe lights up the stage, and John Larroquette's comedic timing is pure genius! And they are the tip of the iceberg in a production that boasts a stellar cast from top to bottom!

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For those who have not seen any of the incarnations of this work on stage or screen, it is about a young man who, following tips from a book about how to succeed in business, gets a job in the mail room of a large corporation, and proceeds to very quickly work his way up the corporate ladder. (The narrator voice of the book is none other than Anderson Cooper.) Daniel Radcliffe plays J. Pierrepont Finch (Ponty), the role that was created by Robert Morse in the original 1961 Broadway cast, and later reprised for the 1967 film. Of course we knew that Radcliffe could act on film. How delightfully surprising to discover that he can also do musical comedy on stage! While the quality of his singing voice is not the most beautiful we've ever heard, it is strong and clear and adequate for the job. And what he lacks in singing finesse he surely makes up in energy as he soars through the dance numbers with ease, as if he'd been doing it all his life! (And yes, he performs the role with a highly credible American accent.)

John Larroquette (who won a Tony award for this role) imbues President of the company J.B. Biggley with boyish charm, humor, and heart. Having recently re-watched the film version, I can easily appreciate the multi-faceted performance of Larroquette as contrasted with the performance of Rudy Vallee, who played the role on Broadway and in the film. And likewise, Daniel Radcliffe's performance is much richer than that of Robert Morse in the film.

Newcomer Rose Hemingway is delightful as Rosemary Pilkington, Ponty's love interest, striking the perfect balance between innocence and cunning. Christopher J. Hanke is perfect as Bud Frump, J.B.'s nephew, the guy you love to hate, who is somehow likable in spite of it all. Ellen Harvey is brilliant as Miss Jones, J.B.'s secretary. Tammy Blanchard plays go-go-girl-turned-secretary Hedy La Rue with humor and warmth. Mary Faber is perfect as Smitty, Rosemary's best friend. And each last actor, singer, and dancer is a joy to watch onstage!

One might question the choice to remake the Tony and Pulitzer award winning play written by Abe Burrows, Jack Weinstock, & Willie Gilbert, which debuted on Broadway in October, 1961. Though highly entertaining, the setting and basic premise are very dated. Happily the days are long past when a corporate office is filled with all male executives, and where the highest ambition of the women secretaries is to marry and move out to the suburbs to happily "keep his dinner warm". Yet the action of the play is in a sort of fantasy world. And it is fun to see how far we have come in 50 years. The play is like a live action snapshot of 1960s sensibilities, not unlike what Grease is for the prior decade. However Director/Choreographer Rob Ashford has given a magnificent facelift to this old classic. It's like a 1960 Thunderbird with a shiny new paint job and a new engine.

For starters, the choreography is bright, energetic, and eye-popping! Boxes fly across the stage in the mailroom for the musical number The Company Way, and actors dance across them. Perhaps the most lively and entertaining number is Grand Old Ivy -- where an entire college football team literally comes out of the woodwork to join in the festivities! At the end of the song when Ponty says, "I enjoyed that, sir!", he is speaking for all of us!

Derek McLane's scenic design, Howell Binkley's lighting, and Catherine Zuber's costumes splash vibrant colors onto the stage, breathing life into what might otherwise be a dull corporate setting. The very clever stage design includes a backdrop of elongated hexagonal shaped openings or windows, which are lit in bright colors that change with the mood of the scene. It gives the impression of a corporate office building / high tech beehive. Similarly shaped structures slide in and out to function as office "cubicles" (hexagonicles?). It also puts one in mind of a modern day metro train.

The colors of the costumes are coordinated with the colored lighting in the windows. Each secretary wears outfits coordinated in a particular color, with matching shoes, belt, etc. For example, Rosemary is always dressed in shades of pink, and her friend Smitty is always in shades of green. The one exception of course is during the fun song Paris Original, when each woman enters wearing the exact same midnight blue Paris "original" creation! The dresses have long blue sashes that can be tied in various ways, which are used to great advantage in the pursuant dance number. Of course the men are all wearing suits befitting their level in the company, and Ponty's rise to the top of the corporate ladder can be tracked through the quality of the cut of his suits!

David Chase's music direction brings life and energy to Frank Loesser's original score, which includes classics like Brotherhood of Man, I Believe in You, and Been a Long Day, making them appealing to modern audiences.

The bottom line is that if you have never seen this play, this would be an excellent time to become acquainted with it, and bring the whole family. And if you have seen it, this would be a great time to see it again and gain new appreciation for an old friend.

Daniel Radcliffe leaves the show at the end of 2011, and will be replaced by Darren Criss of the TV show Glee. (Coincidentally, Criss played Harry Potter in 2 musical parodies of the Harry Potter novels -- A Very Potter Musical and A Very Potter Sequel.)

Footnote: Having been very familiar with this material, at least from the film and original Broadway Cast Recording (and possibly the original show at a very young age), I was expecting to pass a pleasant afternoon at the theater, but not for it to be anything special. I was delighted to find that this production greatly surpassed all expectations! My appreciation grew even stronger after re-watching the film version, which included several musical numbers with almost no choreography -- 2 people standing side by side and singing, or worse, sitting side by side! This is even more shocking considering that the media of film is not confined to 3 walls like a stage. Also the character of Ponty was made "nicer" for the film version. And several musical numbers were left out. All of this combined to give the film a more white-washed feel. So though I cannot compare this stage production to the original, or even to the revised version with Matthew Broderick, I can compare it to my impression of the original. And my overall sense is that we have come a long way in 50 years -- in musical comedy stage productions as well as in corporate politics!

MM Rating - **** 1/2