Review: Sweeney Sweetens The Deal In 'How To Succeed In Business'
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David Slone-dslone@timesuniononline.com
The jokes are a little dated, parts of the musical feel a bit sexist, but Wagon Wheel Center for the Arts’ production of “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying” still made me smile and even laugh for really the first time Wednesday. A large part of that is due to Tom Sweeney’s Broadway-worthy performance of the main character, J. Pierrepont Finch, opening night Wednesday. It was bloody good – literally. Toward the end of Act I, Sweeney got a bloody nose on stage, but he kept going, grabbing the nearest thing – knitting material – to compress against his nose. He kept going, delivering every line as if he wasn’t using one hand to cover his nose. Sweeney did improvise a couple of lines due to the situation he was in, but they felt natural and had the audience laughing. In fact, he handled it so well, a few people wondered if he really had a bloody nose or if it was all part of the show. Even if that hadn’t happened though, Sweeney did such an amazing job in the main role that he even made the lamest of the jokes funny. There were times that Sweeney got to break the fourth wall, looking at the audience with a knowing grin or even shaking hands with people in the audience. He hugged a woman at one point in Act II and it got a good reaction from the crowd. I could easily picture Sweeney in more lead roles, especially comedies, where he can do double takes, physical comedy and such. He’s in the starring role for this show for a good reason. When Sweeney first appeared on stage, I instantly remembered him as Baby John from last year’s production of “West Side Story.” In “How to Succeed,” he gets to shine a bit more and sings very well, too. He’s an all-around talented performer. The show is a 1960s satire of the business world, telling the story of a window washer, Finch, who uses a handbook titled “How To Succeed In Business ...” to climb the corporate ladder. He faces seductive secretaries, compliant company men and backstabbing co-workers with caffeine addictions to get where he wants to go. Supporting Finch all the way, even before he realizes she has his back from the moment she meets him, is office secretary Rosemary Pilkington, played by Erica Durham. As played by Durham, Rosemary is sweet, lovely, motherly and endearing. She’s ready to be “Happy to Keep His Dinner Warm,” as she sings in the first act, but there are times he almost neglects her too much and she considers leaving him. But she loves him, so she ends up staying every time. Durham made Rosemary’s emotions feel not only real, but warm and true. While Sweeney’s performance reminded me of a “Dick Van Dyke meets Deadpool” sort of character, Durham’s made me think of Marilyn Monroe in her comedic roles. And that’s definitely a compliment. The back-stabbing co-worker in the show is Bud Frump, played by Keaton Eckhoff. While Eckhoff was great in “Beauty & The Beast” as Lumiere the candlestick, audiences may also remember him from last season as Lucas in “The Addams Family,” Action in “West Side Story” or Scuttle in “The Little Mermaid.” Frump is the nephew of the company’s president, J.B. Biggley (Chuckie Benson), and isn’t afraid to pull some strings to get jobs he wants at the corporation. Eckhoff pulls the character off well so that you don’t feel bad disliking the guy throughout the entire show. And as Biggley, Benson plays the temperamental boss and cheating husband well. You don’t have to see him get frisky with Hedy LaRue (Lottie Prenovost) to know that he is up to no good with her because Benson plays the character convincingly. In the musical, Finch doesn’t read the book “How to Succeed In Business” out loud, but a voice over the sound system says what Finch is reading. That voice for this show belongs to Mike Yocum, who also appears as the company’s chairman of the board in the second act. Yocum has a voice meant for voiceovers. If the Wagon Wheel ever did the musical “Monty Python’s Spamalot,” Yocum could perfectly do the voice of God. Two other actors worth noting are Laura Plyler as Smitty and Lexi Carter as Miss Jones. Both do a good job in the supporting roles, so much so that audiences may clap a little louder for them when they come out to take their bows. Overall, I think audiences will find moments to smile or laugh about in this production of “How to Succeed” directed by Andy Robinson. There are songs – like “Coffee Break” which is exactly about that, or “Paris Original” about every woman’s worst fashion nightmare – that audiences will either find funny or eyerollers. But then there’s also songs like “A Secretary Is Not A Toy” or “Happy to Keep His Dinner Warm” that, again, feel slightly wrong in today’s world where women are not only CEOs but also doctors, combat soldiers and presidential candidates. Even Belle in “Beauty & The Beast” didn’t need a Gaston to save her. But knowing the show is over 50 years old, it’s more a reflection of that time period than anything else so I’ll leave it at that. My rating of the show (out of 4): 3.25. “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying” is at the Wagon Wheel through June 25. Tickets are $36 for adults, $16 for children 12 and under, $20 for students 13 through college and $28 for seniors. Tickets can be purchased online at www.wagonwheelcenter.org, over the phone at 574-267-8041, and in person at the theatre. The box office is open 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, and Saturday 1 a.m. to 2 p.m. Summer hours are 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and noon to 3 p.m. Sunday.
