Never mind the Book, feel the quality of the performance...
The Southwark Playhouse is my (almost rep) local theatre, offering this month How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.
This revival of the 1961 Broadway musical offers a view of office life which would now be seen as wholly inappropriate, and requiring instant dismissal – it is the world of Mad Men and then some.
But put those objections to one side for a second and you have a fine ensemble cast (and casted colour and gender blind with a vengeance) with good vocal ranges, excellent comic timing, huge enthusiasm and energy.
Perhaps there are no show stopper tunes, but there are no duds either, and most are at least foot-tapping.
The characters are stereotypes, of course, but the actors inhabit them well. In particular the experienced Tracie Bennett (J B Biggley, the big boss); Gabrielle Friedman (J. Pierrepont Finch – the upwardly mobile hero) and Allie Daniel (Rosemary, his secretarial love interest) are significantly good, with fine voices. In the small Southwark Playhouse this whole show works very well, almost as an intimate review – whether it would, or could, transfer is a different issue – and I suspect the subject matter might inhibit this.
But it’s a really good theatre night out, with some real talent displayed.