Energetic Acting Secures Musical's Success

Author: Richard Lawless

Opening with a somewhat rusty and tuneless introduction by the orchestra, the Middlebury College Musical Players' rendition of Frank Loesser's "How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying" was off to a rough start. Yet the performance was saved by the extraordinary energy of the actors and the miraculous recovery of the pit during the later musical numbers.

Jake Nicholson '05's portrayal of J. Pierrepont Finch, an eager young window-washer who swiftly ascends the corporate ladder of an unnamed company, was vibrant and colorful.

Nicholson's lively performance and superb voice carried the play through its highs and lows. As Finch's love interest Rosemary Pilkington, Erin King '04 played her role with an endearing sweetness and innocence, complementing Nicholson's zealousness beautifully.

While both Nicholson's and King's performances were strong and vital to the success of the play — and it was indeed a success — the real scene stealers were David Moan '04's Bud Frump, the goofy inept boss' nephew, and Teal Tigner '05's Heddy La Rue, the office's sultry and squeaky-voiced seductress.

Moan's hilarious facial contortions and hunched movements made Frump a lovable villain, while Tigner managed to steal every scene she was in with her over-the-top characterization.

Also of honorable mention was John Kuykendall '02's portrayal of J.B. Biggley, the head of the company, whose towering figure and booming authoritative voice made him the perfect fit for the role of the boss.

The script was cleverly written and full of humor, tackling the corporate world with tongue firmly planted in cheek.

From the ambiguous titles given to executives, to the lack of mentioning what the company actually does, Loesser gave the audience a full-on parody of 1960s corporate America.

The roles admittedly — perhaps a product of the era in which the play was written — were sexist, with the men playing the executives, the women as the secretaries, yet Loesser slid in a musical number about how secretaries are not toys.

The full range of corporate cronies was well represented, from the executive yes-man Bert Bratt, played solidly by Keith Case '04, to the womanizing Milt Gatch, to the loyal mailroom supervisor Mr. Twimble. The lines were delivered with ease from the actors, with rarely any stumbling or errors. However, the musical scenes were a tad sloppy, appearing as though the cast was not given enough time to rehearse. Ensemble musical numbers were occasionally disorganized, yet the strength of the performers made them viewable.

Perhaps the show's lowest point was the musical performance of "Coffee Break," which made the office workers' despair over not having their caffeine fix as agonizing for the audience as it was for the workers, with abrasive and discordant vocals.From the sparse set, which consisted of several desks with phones or typewriters on them, to the occasional disorganization that resulted in quasi-chaotic performances and the somewhat muddled and sour performance by the pit, the production as a whole gave the impression of being put together rather quickly.

Yet for a quick assembly, the final product was quite satisfying. Imperfections are to be expected in live shows, and it must be mentioned that the entire production was student run.

Director Ben Fainstein '04's decision to focus more on the individual performances of the actors rather than the overall smoothness of the production was an intelligent one.

After all, a production that is a little rough around the edges but is saved by fantastic acting is much more enjoyable than a production with dull acting yet an overall smoothness.

In the end, it was the terrific list of actors and performers who managed to make this foray into the world of musicals an overall—you guessed it—success.