Photo courtesy of J. Stubbs Photography (https://jstubbsphotographyvb.com/)

The Little Theatre of Virginia Beach was bustling once again on Saturday night, with yet another sold-out performance.  This time, that performance was the acclaimed “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying”, and the crowd was not to be disappointed, as this show is a highly entertaining romp from start to finish.  As the 1960s walls and elevator peel off the stage, we are quickly introduced to our hero, J. Pierrepoint Finch (spelled F-I-N-C-H), a young upstart looking to rise quickly in the world of business – and luckily, he has the help of a handy dandy pocket-sized how-to book, which promises to give him the know-how to get there.  If you are worried this sounds too Business 101 for a musical – don’t worry – the very first advice he gets from this book is to find a company which is “big enough that nobody actually knows what any other individual person does” – and the hilarious advice only continues from there.

Finch is played by the ACT-y nominated (for his performance of “Follow Your Heart” in “Urinetown: The Musical”) Michael McOsker.  McOsker takes this role and runs with it.  He has a way of playing the smarmy rich (or working to be rich) kid, the comedic timing to nail the sharing of little knowing eyebrow raises with the audience, and the ability to quickly create rapport with his fellow players on stage (he creates and maintains probably ten different one-on-one relationships in this play, most through only a few lines of dialogue, but it doesn’t feel put-on or forced in any way).  And his singing is spot-on – McOsker has the ability, especially in the second act, of hitting just the right tone on his high notes to give you goosebumps.

McOsker is the leader of this group, but the rest of the cast is absolutely up to the task as well.  Fellow HRACT Award nominee Robert Shirley is very convincing as company president J. B. Biggley, and his performance of his alma mater’s fight song “Grand Old Ivy” with McOsker is a highlight that had the house cracking up.  Finch’s love interest Rosemary is played by ArLynn Parker, and Parker’s acting draws the audience in as she imagines her ideal world of being a traditional 1960s housewife (although it also seems like she might just want to be the type of person who would like that to be her ideal world, a wrinkle to the role which Parker portrays admirably).  Coral Mapp does a wonderful job as Smitty, Rosemary’s fellow secretary and best friend at work.  Mapp is a talented singer (her work with Parker and McOsker in the song “Been A Long Day”, which we referred to on the ride home as “The Elevator Song”, is extremely well done), and really shines as she leads multiple group dance numbers (more on that later).  Graydon Nordstrom is believable as Bud Frump, the disgruntled nephew of the president who can’t seem to get himself together enough to move up and out of the mail room.  And the play’s plot pivots when the bombshell that is Jessi DiPette as Hedy LaRue shows up.  DiPette, who won Best Performance in a Leading Female Role (Musical) at last year’s HRACT Awards for her performance as Sibella, was hilarious throughout, and puts on a clinic of acting through facial expressions and body language.

The named role cast was excellent, and the ensemble and crew absolutely matched their energy and abilities.  The ensemble’s ability to fill the theater with sound and perfectly blended harmonies was remarkable, a credit to music director Dr. Nancy Whitfield.  The ensemble also could dance!  This group, led by choreographer (and director) Karen Buchheim (an ACT-y nominee), used that corner stage at LTVB to its fullest, pulling off dance number after dance number, and looking quite effortless in doing so.  I have to say – something I love in a musical is when I get surprised by a sudden tap number (somehow, I just never see it coming – but its delightful every time).  The dancing and singing of the ensemble is teased throughout the night, but gets shown off to its fullest in the song “Brotherhood of Man” right at the end of the show – and it will blow you away as Lynn Bright as Miss Jones hits the high note that puts the finishing touch on a fantastic show.

All of this is done on a clever little set with surprisingly few moving pieces, but they are used extremely effectively, in conjunction with unobtrusive and well put-together screen projections.  Well done to the set/scenic design team of ACT-y winner Mike Hilton, Sandy Lawrence, and Pam Stokes – and where did you find so many orange office chairs?  And the costume design by Kay Burcher is phenomenal.  The actors felt right at home in their 60s office environment, everyone had a bunch of costumes, and they were fabulous.  Burcher also did a great job with the few “specialty” costumes they needed as well, like the Treasure Hunt girls (you’ll know them when you see them).

“How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying” skewers 1960s work culture (i.e. sexual harassment, nepotism, and the old boys’ club) while simultaneously staying relatable to current work culture (unfortunately, also sexual harassment, nepotism, and the old boys’ club).  However, it also keeps it light and reminds you of the fun parts of work – like the way it can make you feel like something bigger, and the comradery something as simple as running out of coffee can bring to everyone (you will LOVE the song “Coffee Break” right at the top of the show).  As I pulled into our parking spot at our house, I suddenly realized how much my cheeks hurt from smiling and laughing for three hours – but the soreness is worth it.  Bravo!