AU DPA Teaches Us How to Succeed in an Updated Production at the Greenberg
By Kayleigh Thompson
Has it ‘Been a Long Day’? Do you really ‘Need a Coffee Break’? Want someone to just say, you know what, ‘I Believe in You’? Then consider checking out of that office internship early and heading over to the Greenberg to sit back and relax in those comfy theatre chairs. AU’s Department of Performing Arts’s fall musical How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying is just what you need if you want to press pause on the heavy, stressful stuff and enjoy something just because it’s funny for once.
Starring Isabelle Jennings Pickering as J. Pierrepont Finch, How to Succeed tells the story of an ambitious (wo)man that goes from window washer to successful businessman at the World Wide Wicket Company. Originally written in 1961 by Frank Loesser, the musical is a satirical commentary on big business life, 1950s and 60s gender tropes, and moving up in the world. With all the elements of a mid century Broadway hit, the show features big musical numbers, flashy choreography, and memorable characters. DPA’s production, however, has gotten attention as it takes Loesser’s musical one step farther. Their production not only features the role of Finch being played by a woman, but the show is also performed under the assumption that Finch is a woman disguised as a man.
“Female Finch is not modern idea,” explained Aryn Geier, a senior studying musical theatre and a member of the show’s ensemble, “it’s not uncommon for women to masquerade as men in order to hold higher positions. But I think as modern audience, we can align ourselves to the show much easier when we see Finch as a woman.”
The idea was formed in the casting room. While originally, AU’s production was to be as close to the original as possible, Assistant Director and Theatre Arts junior Ayla Taffel proposed the idea of a female Finch to Professor Karl Kippola after auditions. Kippola, the director of the show and head of the theatre department, who originally was hesitant about the idea, stated in an interview with the Rival:
“My concern about casting Finch as a woman was that it would prove to be too much of a gimmick and a distraction, so I went home planning to tell Ayla it wasn’t a good idea. But the more I looked at the character through that lens the more excited I got about it, and I was more passionate and committed. I would never want to do it with a male Finch now.”
When talking with Taffel about her idea for the show, she discussed her desire for the added gender dynamic. “Finch has to be a woman. The original show is a little problematic for the modern audience, but this version I think is more accommodating. It’s more satirical of gender now that we have a female playing the lead.”
Despite a female Finch, the rest of the show is kept true to the original script. In order to both lean in to the gender tropes that could be considered offensive, as well as to be able to have a show with a gender reversal that remains true to the trends of the time, the cast had a lot of training and conversations about intimacy and embracing what a female lead changes for their characters. The cast also took charge to make the characters their own, adding personal comedic spins and interpretations to accommodate a modern lense.
Ross Bollinger, who plays the boss of the company J.B. Biggley described his performance as "very truthful when compared to other performances that have had him as more of a blowhard. I act with a lot more awareness of the current climate.”
Perhaps the most notable accommodation to female lead would be the love story between Finch and Rosemary. Their romance was left unchanged, adding a queer lens to the show. For senior Mercedes Blankenship, who plays Miss Krumholtz, having the queer component of the show is refreshing. She said, “While it would be great to have well written direct portrayals of queer women in theatre when you attach it to shows like this it is still very successful validating and fascinating. Iza good show, come see it.”
As many people in the AU community identify with the LGBTQ+ community, the cast hopes the show has become more accommodating and accessible to a college-age audience, while still maintaining the original tropes and satire that made How to Succeed a Broadway classic.
The show will feature a panelist discussion after the 2pm matinee on Saturday, October 20th. Featuring faculty from Kogod and led by the show’s dramaturg Julia Harris, there will be a discussion about the challenges women face in pursuing a business career, overcoming gender tropes, and evolving from the standard role of secretary that is portrayed in the show to being a female CEO. Anyone is welcome to attend this discussion, even if they did not attend the matinee.
Overall, the show stays true to the tune of the original production, which was already a satire of the gender roles of the time, while offering something new and interesting to engage a modern audience. The work the cast has put in is extensive and the result is a show that is wacky, fun, light-hearted, and not too heavy. As Bollinger summed up, “this cast has been so much fun to work with. The ability to work with all these talented people is humbling, it’s been such a great experience.”
If wanting to see an amazing production featuring an excellent cast that takes on a Broadway classic and makes it their own isn’t enough reason to see the show, then at least in Ayla Taffel’s words, “It’s a really fun brain break.”
Oh, and word on the street is that THE Sylvia Matthews Burwell just might be part of the cast, but you’ll have to see the show to find out.
How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying plays at the Greenberg theatre (4200 Wisconsin Ave NW, Washington, DC 20016) Oct. 17-19, 25-26 at 8pm, with matinees on the 19 and 26 at 2pm. Tickets are $10 for students and $15 for the general public and can be bought here.