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H2$ Reviews |
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Tickets Buy tickets online or become a subscriber. You can also call us at 650-349-6411 Gift Certificates available in any denomination Register for Conservatory Make a donation Hillbarn Theatre 1285 East Hillsdale Blvd. Foster City, CA 94404 Sponsored by 
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The Daily Journal San Mateo County’s Homepage
A play worthy of a rave By Keith Kreitman Step back, Folks! I’m going to let loose a rave. Hillbarn Theatre in Foster City has had some successful musical productions in the past few years but “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying,” may be its best ever. Whenever, I review an outstanding staging like this, I ask myself, can this be done better by anyone else, anywhere else? One would be hard put to find any. OK! I know! It’s a 47-year-old Broadway warhorse, a musical satire of big business by two of its Hall of Fame talents, Frank Loesser and Abe Burrows. But with direction and catchy choreography by Bill Starr, cleverly designed moveable sets by Lee Basham, creative lighting by Don Coluzzi and a super cast lead by a sensational, award-worthy performance by Joe Duffy, this one still really swings. The plot for this musical was inspired by a 1952 bestseller book of the same name by Shepherd Mead and won a Tony and a Pulitzer Prize in 1962. J. Pierrepont Finch (Joe Duffy), a young, ambitious window washer takes the book to heart and begins to follow its suggestions as he breaks into the corporate culture of the World Wide Wicket Company and schemes how to climb its executive ladder. Joe Duffy’s Broadway and other professional Equity experiences clearly mark his performance. His acting, singing, dancing and reactions are flawless and what could just be a very good show becomes a “don’t miss this one!” There are, also, some outstanding performances by familiar local faces that expose previously unrevealed talents. As J.B. Biggley, the irascible boss and president of the company, John Musgrave adds singing to his remarkable range of characterizations in Bay Area productions. Ron Lopez releases from his limitless repertoire a flood of sidesplitting comic reactions as Bud Frump, Biggley’s incompetent and scheming nephew, the chief villain and antagonist to Pierrepont’s rise in the corporate structure.
Newcomers to Hillbarn: Alicia Teeter is Rosemary, a company secretary who becomes Pierrepont’s love interest. Her combined good acting and beautiful voice leads to some unintentional scene stealing. Joyce Jacobson does a knockout, funny job as Hedy Larue, the boss’ secret mistress, an ex-night club cigarette girl with no business skills whom he tries to slip into the company as a steno-secretary, with disastrous results. Then, there are the corporate clones doing their work “the company way.” Jacqueline McCarley is Rosemary’s best friend, Smitty. Celeste Russi is the supercilious Miss Jones, the president’s secretary. Ken Brill is Mr. Bratt, the personnel manager. Jack Ramage is Mr. Twimble, a company man who served loyally for 25 years in the same job. David Meacham is the lecherous Mr. Gratch and Mark Bowles is the earthy Mr. Womper, who, as chairman of the board, is the real boss of the corporation. Also featured in varying roles and in dancing are Alan Hafter, Adam Simpson, Ruth Sieber, Gary Gerber, Arlene Bugayong, Kathleen Gabriel, Lauren Herman, Nicole Martin, Martha McDowell, Laura Noguchi, Regina Quigley, Joseph Freedman and Trevor Meachem. None of the music in the show will ever enter the classic songbooks but they do effectively carry the story along and range from catchy to very beautiful. OK! You can come back now. I’m done raving.
IF YOU GO: “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying” Book by: Abe Burrows Music and Lyrics: by Frank Loesser PERFORMED BY: Hillbarn Theatre directed and choreographed by: Bill Starr WHERE: 1285 E. Hillsdale Blvd., Foster City WHEN: 8 p.m. Thursday to Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday. Closes June 7. TICKETS: $17 - $34. CONTACT: 349-6411 or www.hillbarntheatre.org
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Review: Hillbarn Theatre's 'How to Succeed ...' really does By Joanne Engelhardt Posted: 05/15/2009 01:41:41 PM PDT Updated: 05/15/2009 01:41:41 PM PDT
Well, you'll just have to take in Hillbarn Theatre's production of the 48-year-old Abe Burrows/Frank Loesser Broadway musical to find out how it all works out. What's missing most from this show is a dash more razzmatazz and a slightly edgier performance from leading man Joe Duffy as J. Pierrepont Finch. Duffy has a delightful, boyish charm, mounds of stage presence and a strong singing voice. But a Sammy Glick he isn't. Director and choreographer Bill Starr also needs to punch the pace up a notch, especially considering that Act 1 runs more than 1½ hours. That's too long to ask an audience to sit. Yet there are many sparkling moments to savor: Pert, personable Alicia Teeter as Rosemary, the perfect foil for Finch, who is too busy plotting his next career move to recognize he's found his true love; veteran Peninsula actor John Musgrave as company president, J.B. Biggley, who has an eye for WWW's bottom line and beautiful women; and Ruth Sieber as Miss Krumholtz, a secretary with smarts and a gift for gab. But it's Ron Lopez Jr. as Biggley's inept, befuddled nephew Bud Frump, who is enthralling in every scene in which he appears. At first, Lopez's over-the-top preening and grimaces were hard to take, but he quickly worms his way into his smarmy personality and the audience's funny bones in short order. His is a season-winning performance if there ever was one. Joyce Jacobson was a disappointment in what could be the scene-stealing role of Hedy LaRue, Biggley's sexy, dumb mistress who makes every male in the company pant in her wake. Jacobson's accent alternated between Brooklyn-esque and Shirley Temple, and her costumes did little to enhance her supposedly feminine allure. "How to Succeed" is at its best when the entire company joins in on all-out musical numbers. "Coffee Break" resonated with the audience who laughed mightily at the cast's exaggerated antics. Other crowd-pleasers: "A Secretary is Not a Toy," the knee-slapping "Brotherhood of Man," Duffy's realistically narcissistic rendition of "I Believe in You," and the decidedly funny "Paris Original," where every secretary at World Wide Wicket goes to a company party wearing "this irresistible Paris Original" dress (all the more droll because the dresses are an ugly pink with a gigantic floral bow in back). Mention must be made of the remarkably movable set — desks, walls, bathroom counters, moving elevator doors — all due to the prolific talent and dedication of scenic designer/technical director/one-man set constructor Lee Basham. The bottom line? You'll find much to appreciate in Hillbarn's last show of the 2008-09 season. For those of you who ever worked in a big corporation in the 1950s, this production should bring back memories both good and not so. It's a reliable way to reflect on how far women have come in the business world. If written today, the Finch character might well be a Ms.
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