Life imitates art at Goodspeed’s “How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying”

EAST HADDAM — In case you’re worried about what kind of career U.S. Sen. Christopher J. Dodd might be prepared for after November’s elections, rest assured he has a promising future as narrator of revivals such as Goodspeed’s “How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying.”
Set in a 1960s corporation where an inexperienced newbie, J. Pierrepont Finch, played with sweet cutthroat narcissism by Brian Sears, is drunk on ambition, many will make the obvious comparison of the musical to the wildly popular television show “Mad Men.”
All the more so with all the pillbox hats for the gals and tweed suits for the guys. The musical is a page right out of history, with in a set that looks remarkably like an old PanAm airline terminal, resplendent with aqua, wood paneling, and stainless steel arranged in Mondrian cubes, by the excellent Adrian W. Jones. Jones did a great job making the small stage seem larger by extending the cubist shapes above and beyond the stage.
But this show is so much more than a nostalgic look to the past — it is a true time capsule. If life ever imitated art, it does so here.
The name of the corporation whose ladder that Finch, our sassy hero, aspires to climb? World Wide Wickets Company, or WWW for short. A coincidence, you say? Perhaps. Or perhaps the show is just prescient enough to have seen the future before the rest of the world did.
The best song in the show comes late in the second act when Finch sings “I Believe in You,” which is a beautiful, melodic ballad, until you realize that the “You” to whom he is singing is his own reflection in the mirror.
Well, as Oscar Wilde once said, “To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance.” Sears’ Finch certainly embraces that dictum.
His hapless nemesis, the flexible and hilarious Tom Deckman, plays the boss’ nephew, Bud Frump, who squeezes every drop of comedy and then some out of the part.
Love interest Rosemary Pilkington, played by the effervescent Natalie Bradshaw, makes the most out of her unfortunate dream of becoming the neglected wife behind the successful executive.
There is also the awkward song “A Secretary is not A Toy” which choreographer Kelli Barclay and director Greg Ganakas do the best they can, making the secretaries the puppet-masters, but it is still uncomfortable.
There’s the big boss J.B. Biggley, played with befuddled fussiness by Ronn Carroll, who played the same role on Broadway opposite Matthew Broderick. To relax, Biggley knits — something that Finch learns about and capitalizes on, as he does with each stumbling block on his way up the corporate ladder.
Biggley is having an affair with a bombshell, Hedy LaRue, played by the delightful Nicolette Hart, who can sing, dance, and turn on a dime, but taking dictation is not one of her skills.
Richard Vida does a fine job as the life-long employee, Mr. Twimble and the pompous, ditzy director of the board, Wally Womper.
Jennifer Smith does a fabulous turn as the uptight executive secretary who really lets loose and has a blast, as does the rest of the cast, in the second act, where you get to see that fantastic dancing that Goodspeed always does so well.
It’s back to the future at the instructive “How To Make It In Business Without Really Trying” at the Goodspeed through Nov. 28.

HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING

3½ Stars
Location: Goodspeed Opera House, Route 82, East Haddam
Production: Directed by Greg Ganakas. Music and lyrics by Frank Loesser. Book by Abe Burrows, Jack Weinstock, and Willie Gilbert. Based upon the book by Shepherd Mead. Music direction by Michael O’Flaherty. Choreography by Kelli Barclay. Scenic design by Adrian W. Jones. Costume design by Gregory Gale. Lighting design by Paul Miller. Orchestrations by Dan DeLange.
Running time: 2 hours plus one 15-minute intermission
Show Times: Wednesday, Sunday, and selected Thursday matinees at 2 p.m., Wednesdays and Thursdays at 7:30 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., Saturday matinees at 3 p.m., and selected Sundays at 6:30 p.m. through Nov. 28.
Tickets: $27.50 — $71. Call the box office at 860-873-8668 or visit their website at www.goodspeed.org
ACTOR…CHARACTER
Brian Sears … J. Pierrepont Finch
Ronn Carroll … J.B. Biggley
Natalie Bradshaw … Rosemary Pilkington
Nicolette Hart … Hedy LaRue
Sen. Christopher J. Dodd … Narrator
Tom Deckman … Bud Frump
Erin Maguire … Smitty
Jennifer Smith … Miss Jones
Ricard Vida … Mr. Twimble and Wally Womper