STAGE WEST: "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying" at San Diego Musical Theatre

Robert J. Townsend and Autumn Kirkpatrick in "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying." Karli Cadel Photography

            How to succeed in enjoying San Diego Musical Theatre’s production of “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying”:
            First, keep in mind that this musical-comedy satire of corporate culture in the ‘60s is a period piece, a portrait of its time, a thankfully bygone era when men in suits strutted like roosters and women were there for the plucking.
            Second, though the lyrics to songs like “Happy to Keep His Dinner Warm” and most of all “A Secretary Is Not a Toy” are cringe-worthy even if you’re not a woman, musical theater heavyweight Frank Loesser’s score is a lively and tuneful one. There’s only one number – “I Believe In You,” which became a favorite of Vegas-ish lounge singers – that most people remember, but neither is this 1961 show undermined by syrupy, swooning ballads of the kind lessers that Loesser composed.
            And third, give yourself over to director Omri Schein’s impeccable comic instincts, responsible here for making “How to Succeed …” an entertaining romp in spite of its length (well over two and a half hours) and its being so retro it makes the “gender dynamics” of television’s chauvinistic “Mad Men” look enlightened. Schein himself is a master of onstage antics and physical comedy, and at SDMT he’s brought out the best in a large cast that is right in lockstep with him.
            Oh, and on the subject of lockstep, a fourth how-to-enjoy: choreography by Xavier J. Bush that makes you feel as if you’re in a much bigger theater.
            This was my first time seeing “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying” onstage. Prior I’d only seen the 1967 film that starred Robert Morse as J. Pierrepont Finch, the window washer-turned-mailroom clerk who follows the advice of a book titled “How to Succeed” etc. etc. on his way zooming up the corporate ladder at the World Wide Wicket Company. Can’t say I remembered much about it, either.
            The smash-hit stage musical is based on a novel by Shepherd Mead and was written by Abe Burrows, Willie Gilbert and Jack Weinstock. It was Burrows who reportedly opined that glamour was “the indefinable something about a girl with a big bosom.” There’s some context for you.
            But “How to Succeed” the musical would win a Tony and the Pulitzer for Drama (!). Just keep telling yourself “It’s satire.”
            At SDMT, Frankie Errington occupies the role of Finch with spirit and buoyancy. They also succeed, if you will, in maintaining a likability in Finch even as the ambitious and manipulative character exploits others on the way upward. “How to Succeed” is a welcome onstage return for Errington who hasn’t performed since 2019.
            Jasmine January’s becoming one of the most dependable character actors in town, and she’s a standout as Rosemary, the charming secretary who dreams of sharing a New Rochelle mansion with “Ponty.” The show’s other major female part belongs to Autumn Kirkpatrick as Hedy LaRue, whose very name itself is a character description. She’s Burrows’ “indefinable something,” a total bombshell caricature, but props to Kirkpatrick for a game and winning comedic performance that has nuances.
            The presence of Robert J. Townsend (as World Wide Wicket President J.B. Biggley) is a boon to any production given his sonorous vocals and seasoned pro’s experience. Same with Sandy Campbell in the granted, underutilized role of Biggley’s secretary, Miss Jones.
            If there’s an antagonist in the story it’s Biggley’s weaselly nephew Bud Frump. Zane Camacho savors every moment indulging Frump’s machinations.
            Everyone in the World Wide Wicket secretarial pool as well as the guys in suits is turned out beautifully in bright ‘60s colors by costume designer Patricia Lutz. She’s even got them looking great in the inane, out-of-nowhere pirate number (“Yo-Ho-Ho”) that arrives late in the storytelling. Scenic designer Mike Buckley, too, created a mobile and flexible set that can facilitate opening-and-closing elevator doors one minute and men’s room sinks the next.
            I’d be remiss if I didn’t applaud San Diego Musical Theatre for its new seating that has replaced those former uncomfortable chairs. This was especially appreciated during a long show like “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.”
            “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying” runs through March 1 at San Diego Musical Theatre in Kearny Mesa.