How to Succeed in Musical Theatre by Combining Talent and Hard Work!
That should have been the name of the Cowichan Musical Society’s smash hit, How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying, which finished its run last weekend.
Most musicals feature plenty of singing and dancing, but this one has more of a story than most and allows the principals to show off their acting skills as well.
It’s a fun tale about a young man (J. Pierrepont Finch, played by James Meyer) who, with guile and gall, climbs the corporate ladder at World Wide Widget from a standing start in the mail room all the way to chairman of the board. Meyer was fabulous in the role, slipping like an eel in and around every obstacle that appeared in his way as his character rose to the top.
Excellent young singer, Amelia MacIntosh, played his love interest, Rosemary. She’s a Shawnigan Lake School student and was making her CMS debut. At the Friday night show, her friends turned out in busloads to cheer her noisily, adding to the excitement of the evening.
Grant Mellemstrand played J.B. Biggley, the president of World Wide Widget, with his customary aplomb, anchoring the cast and providing a good deal of humour, especially in his duet with Meyer, ‘Grand Old Ivy’.
Jamieson Wickham as Bud Frump, the boss’s annoying nephew, brought some very polished dance moves to the show and Robyn Fortunat as Hedy Larue, was delightfully ditzy as the blonde bombshell.
But this was a strong cast throughout, with even quite minor roles well developed. The costumes by Alison Bendall — in her first chance in this position — were colourful and fun.
The orchestra was onstage, behind a translucent screen instead of in the pit, and this gave the cast a lot more room for big dance numbers. Under the direction of choreographer Sarah White, they made full use of every inch of space with plenty of great hoofing in such production numbers as ‘Coffee Break’, ‘The Company Way’, ‘A Secretary Is Not a Toy’, and ‘Brotherhood of Man’.
The audience was smiling as they left the theatre and crowded into the downstairs lobby to greet members of the cast and congratulate them on a job well done.
lexi.bainas@cowichanvalleycitizen.com
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