HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING

HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING

Brentwood Operatic Society at Brentwood Theatre

16.10.13

Frank Loesser's swan song recalls more innocent days, when HR was Personnel, copies were made with carbon paper and sexual harassment was a harmless slap and cuddle.

Nina Jarram's production at Brentwood brings it into the twenty-first century with a wonderful split-level set, complete with elevator, scrolling Dow Jones, flat screens and cordless phones.

The story, though, is stuck in the 50s, when every secretary's ambition was to marry the boss and "keep his dinner warm". It tells of Window Washer J Pierrepont Finch [a confident Allister Smith] and his inexorable rise to the top of Worldwide Wickets.

Weaknesses in the book are outweighed by some excellent performances and one or two show-stopping routines – the glorious Brotherhood of Man production number well worth waiting for, with its tap shoes, ring binders and waste bins.

Juliet Thomas is the shy Rosemary, getting a crack at the big ballad, and rewarded at last with the hand of her Ponty. Superb character work from Martin Harris as big boss JB, old school song and old-fashioned love duet [with Amy Newland's vamp] both brilliantly handled, and Jordon Cox very watchable as Bud Frump, Finch's devious rival in the mail room. Louise Byrne, as Smitty, brings vocal style to several numbers, including the amusingly staged Coffee Break.

MD for the show is Jonathan Sands.