How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying - Southwark

They’ll be much bigger numbers when La Bennett gets her chops round them!

It will be interesting to see how they approach this, given that part of the story is asatire round the old values of Men home being the breadwinners and the women look after the home 'Happy To Keep His Dinner Warm'. Not sure how that will work as the 2 leads are both female. And they are all very young. I'm going to say too young. One of them is meant to have worked in the mailroom for 25 years! As someone who loves the show, it doesn't bode well.

Gabrielle Friedman was fabulous as Mary in Merrily We Roll Along at the Royal Academy last summer, so I'm actually fairly happy they're leading this.

I just...don't know how well this is going to go, but I probably will attend a few weeks in once they've got settled and see what it's like...

There's fringe and there's fringe. I generally don't mind paying £35 somewhere like the Southwark Playhouse as your seat is great and your close to the action and the productions are usually great with good and often very good casting.

However, with this, take La Bennett out and it looks like a university/drama school cast as they all seem so young. I was one of those that didn't rave about Georgie Rankcom's Anyone Can Whistle and so I'm wary about this one all told.

I highly recommend the 1995 How To Succeed cast recording. Matthew Broderick, Megan Mullally (pre Will and Grace) Victoria Clark, Lillias White.

My view is that the voice of the book is clearly that of the author. That is why it is traditionally a pre record (often with a big name) rather than the lead character reading from the text

I’m hoping for a better night tonight at the SWP. Looking forward to seeing Tracie B back on the stage. Anyone else going?

Saw the Saturday matinee, and was thoroughly entertained, though never dramatically.

Some spoilers follow. . .

The flaw is the book, which allows the main character (if the role can even be called a character, it is so thinly defined) to coast along so easily (that's the intentional running joke) that there are no dramatic stakes for the first two hours.

The music and performances are a joy, however, with Gabrielle Friedman's likeability, as corporate ladder climber, J Pierrepoint Finch, off the charts. That's a boon, as the character's likeability makes us root for him to have an easy time of it, and the dramatic flaw of the book ensures that that is exactly what happens.

If there are few thrills, there are many good laughs, and Annie Aitken's ditzy seductress is particularly on point in milking every line for maximum mirth.

Allie Daniel, as Pierrepoint's affable and endearing love interest, displays charm and vulnerability in the role, which affords the audience a much needed dose of sentiment.

I was bowled over by how much cheery charisma Taylor Bradshaw brings to the small role of Mr Bert Bratt. If you just watch this one actor's performance, you learn more about corporate survival than from anything written in the play text, with the character's instinctive fear of failure and gleeful opportunism, go-getting glad-handing and toeing the line, a constant rollercoaster of a joy to behold.

All the characters make a good fist of the singing, with Friedman a highlight. I particularly enjoyed hearing "Rosemary (Superstar)" and reminding myself that this is a rare instance where ALW isn't borrowing from ALW, though the evident similarity may all be a mahoosive coincidence lol.

The choreography of all the characters moving constantly around the tiny stage is a delight.

3 and a half stars of musically and comedically great, undramatic fun, for me.