How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying at HCTO

I always love it when I have the opportunity to see a popular show that I haven't seen before and that is what happened at HCTO last night when I got to see their production of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.  It is a charming old-fashioned musical satirizing life on the corporate ladder and I loved it.  J. Pierpont Finch (Josh Valdez) is a lowly window washer for the World Wide Wicket Company with big ambitions.  After consulting the book How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, he impresses the boss J.B. Biggley (David Morley-Walker) and he gets a job working in the mail room.  Despite the attention from Rosemary Pilkington (Morgan Fenner), a secretary who has decided to marry him, and the scheming of Bud Frump (Joseph Paul Branca), Mr. Biggley's incompetent nephew who is jealous of him, he becomes a junior executive in the Plans and Systems Department, then Vice President of Advertising, and eventually takes the place of Wally Womper (Michael D. Fox) as Chairman of the Board.  The best part of this show is the dazzling and innovative choreography and I loved watching the incredibly talented ensemble perform in the big song and dance numbers "Coffee Break," "The Company Way," "A Secretary Is Not a Toy," "Paris Original," "Cinderella, Darlin'," "I Believe In You," and "Brotherhood of Man."  I had a huge smile on my face during all of these numbers and so did everyone in the audience.  The cast is outstanding!  Valdez has just the right combination of earnestness and charisma to shine as Finch and I loved his touching performance in "Rosemary" and his raucous rendition of "Grand Old Ivy" with Morley-Walker (which made me laugh out loud).  The female roles are a bit outdated for a modern audience but Fenner, Lisa Zimmerman (as Hedy LaRue), and McKell Shaw (as the secretary Smitty) add a lot of comedic elements to their performances.  However, it is Branca who absolutely steals the show because he is so petulant as Frump and his physicality and facial expressions are hilarious (I think I laughed at every single thing he did).  The stage features a black and white checkerboard floor, stylized logos for the World Wide Wicket Company (which reminded me of the Pan Am logo), and geometric set pieces that emphasize a 1960s vibe.  These geometric patterns are also used in panels with colored LED lights all around the theater and I loved how the lights flashed in sync with the music.  The period costumes are all a lot of fun, especially the Paris "original" gowns worn by all of the secretaries to a reception.  I definitely enjoyed this show (without really trying) and I recommend it highly (go here for tickets).  It runs every night but Sunday with several matinees through April 13.