This was the first time I was ever introduced to the musical, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, and I must say that it was perhaps the best introduction I could have to this musical. Musket’s performance of this over-the-top extravaganza was so incredibly well done that it could go straight on Broadway with no alterations. Let’s break down the performance piece-by-piece and really see where this talented group of students really soared.
First, let’s start with the acting. The acting was mostly on point, though there were a few instances where the acting was a bit more over-exaggerated than I personally would have like. Regardless of that, the acting genuinely helped to sell the lines and added a lot of character to the piece. Every role was uniquely acted and humorous in its own way. I must also give much adulation to Brenna Gildenberg in her role as Smitty. It was a smaller role than the two leads, but I thought it was the role that was best performed. Her charisma and perfect comedic deliveries really sold the character to me and made the whole play much more enjoyable than it would have been otherwise. I would really love to see what she could do with other characters, perhaps even in a dramatic role.
(From left to right: Karl Skyler Urban as J. Pierrepont Finch, Brenna Gildenberg as Smitty, and Kimmy Hay as Rosemary Pilkington)
Now, to move on to the singing. The singing was also wonderfully well executed. There was no missed note to be heard within the entire performance. Everyone sang beautifully and it was a joy to hear. It was especially amazing how the singing shined through on the comedic songs as well. Again, special commendations must be given for one particular part that really astounded me and that was Sunshine “Ximone” Rose as Miss Jones. Her vocal talents were most impressive during the song, “Brotherhood of Man.” When she entered the song, it brought to a whole new fantastic level that honestly made me a little giddy with joy. I do not know where the university keeps finding such amazing singers, but I hope they never stop.
Onto the final reason this play was truly well executed: the choreography. The choreography was absolutely the best part of the entire production. It was lively, original, and funny when it needed to be. I first realized that the choreography was going to be my favorite part during the song “Coffee Break.” After that song, I was hooked on the movement and they only continued to get better. There is no one standout from this part, everyone was fascinating to watch. (Though I have to bring up the surprising splits from Gideon Levinson and the great tap dancing from Karl Skyler Urban and Sunshine “Ximone” Rose.) I applaud the choreographer, Chrissy Papetti for what she was able to accomplish.
Unfortunately, even though I adored the performances of everyone, I was disappointed by the play itself. This is something that Musket could not change, but I was not too pleased with. The plot was okay, and genuinely funny, but seemed padded out to get extra time, and the songs were unnecessary. I love musicals, but the songs need to have a reason in order to be placed in a musical. Most of the songs had no actual bearing on the plot and didn’t really lead to any important character development. There were of course some that were there with a purpose, but this does not excuse the fact that most of them were not. In addition to that, many of the songs got tiring before they finished. A lot of them, like “Coffee Break”, are based on a single joke that lasts way too long for its own good. I definitely think that they could have been better, but that is not something could really be changed in Muskets performance. And of course this is only my opinion, the musical did win seven Tony Awards and was revived twice on Broadway, so it of course connects with a lot of people.
I did really enjoy my viewing of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying and if Musket can promise to continue to put on great performances like this one, then they have earned themselves a life-long fan.
I, too, went to the performance of “How to Succeed…” and enjoyed it for the most part. However, I had one question regarding the casting. Hedy LaRue, one of the secretaries in the show, was played by (who seems to be) a male actor who dressed as a female with hyper-sexualized features. What was the intent behind it? Depending on what the intent was, I thought this cross-dressing can come across as microagressive to the the gender minorities.
I do agree that the performance could be seen as inflammatory, but I purposefully avoided it here as I am not an authority on genderqueer or transgender identities. I can not say whether someone who identifies themself as one or the other would be offended. Although, I do think that it becomes more justifiable if the audience member does not see it as an actual portrayal of a transgendered person, but rather as crossdresser performing a typical over-exaggerated character. Musical theater has a long tradition of using crossdressing performers (not just in this musical, but others, such as Hairspray) and I think Musket decided to continue that tradition so that they could show the musical how it is meant to be seen.
Thanks for your response, Thomas. I am not an authority in that field either, but I wasn’t really aware of the “Broadway” culture of over-exaggerating sexual features and gender roles. In fact, the director’s note in the program mentioned “the unfortunately still-relevant satire of sexism in the workplace” as one of the factors this musical production is alluding to, so I guess the cross-dressing factor could be taken as an extension of that, too. I thought it’s some nice food for thought; I wonder what Musket had in mind about it.