This production of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying could be titled, "See Harry Potter Sing and Dance." He does both with relative ease in this production. Sadly, however, that's not enough to make this old-fashioned musical sparkle. Daniel Radcliffe may go through the paces, but he is not the charismatic song-and-dance man this musical requires. Instead, this musical requires a male lead who can charmingly convey his yearning to move up in the corporate world. Of course, such performers are few and far between. Robert Morse, Dick Van Dyke and Matthew Broderick come to mind, although these fellows are far too old to play the part (and two of them already have, in past Broadway productions).
Be that as it may, Radcliffe has a strong enough "Harry Potter" fan base to keep this production going for some time. The show also has been nominated for nine 2011 Tony Awards, which shouldn't hurt, either. Succeed also boasts more than its share of terrific songs, such as "I Believe in You" and "It's Been a Long Day." There's also a rousing rendition of, "The Company Way."
And How to Succeed has one of the most crowd-pleasing eleventh-hour songs in Broadway history: Brotherhood of Man. This tune still causes audiences to applaud, cheer and, sometimes, gets a standing ovation. This knockout number is winningly staged by director/choreographer Rob Ashford. He also coaches Broadway newcomer John Laroquette into a memorable J.B. Biggley, the (sometimes simple-minded) president of World Wide Wickets. He is easily swayed by the crafty Radcliffe who, as J. Pierrepont Fitch, climbs the ladder of success from the mail room to the top of the corporate food chain.
However, the musical shows its age with outdated songs such as "Happy to Keep His Dinner Warm" (sung by Fitch's girlfriend) and "A Secretary is Not a Toy" (sung by the 'boys' in the executive ranks). Younger audiences are not going to appreciate this underlying current of sexism. Likewise, the song "Cinderella" put Rosemary, Fitch's girlfriend, within reach of achieving every "girl's" dream (i.e., snagging an up-and-coming executive and moving to the suburbs). Ugh! But the beautiful, retro set, costumes and lighting make up for a lot of How to Succeed's flaws. It may not be the flashiest show on the block, but it offers some good-hearted laughs, an impressive (for its time) script and excellent performances. And let's not forget that the original production won the 1962 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and garnered seven Tony Awards.
