The Broadway musical How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying has been around for ages. It opened in 1961, was made into a film six years later, and has been revamped and revived with more notable star turns than many song-and-dance shows. In addition to original star Robert Morse (who also starred in the 1967 film version), the lead role of J. Pierrepont Finch has been played by such notable music and theatre personalities as Matthew Broderick (of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off), John Stamos (of Full House), Ralph Macchio (of The Karate Kid), Daniel Radcliffe (of Harry Potter and the nine films about him), Darren Criss (of Glee), and Nick Jonas (who has brothers).
The plot, as synopsized by broadway.com, goes like this:
How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying centers on a young window-cleaner, J. Pierrepont Finch, who begins a meteoric rise from the mail room to Vice President of Advertising at the World-Wide Wicket Company. Finch’s unorthodox and morally questionable business practices jeopardize not only his career but also his romance with secretary Rosemary Pilkington.
So, it’s a love story, basically, between a young man and woman, and also between a young man and the corporate ladder. Along the way, Finch sings and dances a little, too.
Continuing its tradition of bringing huge-name Broadway fare to the residents of our little city, the Champaign-Urbana Theatre Company (CUTC) will be presenting How to Succeed this weekend (March 14–17). In addition to the rest of its talented cast, CUTC’s production will feature Matt Fear in the role of Finch. Fear has been gobsmacking local audiences for years with his sharp acting, flawless comic timing, and powerhouse singing voice. In addition to his fine theatre work, Fear is also the ringleader of the local Carnivàle Debauche burlesque troupe and can be seen most Monday nights performing improv at Mike N’ Molly’s with The Abe Froman Project. I’ve been lucky enough to work with this fellow a few times, and I can say with complete sincerity that he is one of the most talented people in Champaign-Urbana’s highly competitive and seriously talented theatre community.
I was pleased to pose a few questions to Matt on the eve of his opening night, and he had plenty of good things to say about CUTC, his fellow cast members, and his big-time musical show.
~~~~~~~
Smile Politely: Obviously Finch is a fun character, and who wouldn’t want to play the lead in a big musical, but is there anything about Finch that particularly drew you to him?
Matt Fear (pictured, left): Honestly, I came into audition for this show not knowing much about it at all. I had just done The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, and one of my fellow cast members talked me into auditioning. During the course of the audition, I read the sides that they had selected for Finch and said to myself, ‘I think I would really have fun playing this part.’ Evidently the gods of theatre heard me, and here I am. I like Finch because, while he is a bit of an ‘ass kisser,’ he does have a heart and you do find yourself rooting for the guy.
SP: How long have you been rehearsing, and what has your process been for this production?
Fear: The rehearsal process for this show has been a great deal of fun. The rest of the cast is amazing, and we are all getting along really well. We have only had four weeks of rehearsal for this show, so things have been moving along fairly quickly. My personal process for this show has just been to cram as much of it into my head as humanly possible and then try and make it stick. This has been a challenging rehearsal process because of the short amount of time, but I am making the most of it and will hopefully have everything down by Thursday. If not, maybe I will have someone in the audience with a copy of the script … just in case.
SP: …But seriously, folks. You seem to have become a go-to guy for CUTC these last few years. Is there anything about working with this company that keeps bringing you back for more?
Fear: The Champaign-Urbana Theater Company has been really good to me this past year. It really was the luck of the draw, I think. Last season they did The Producers, Avenue Q, Legally Blonde, and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, and there just happen to be good parts for me in three out of the four shows. I enjoy working with CUTC because it is a really welcoming company that brings all kinds of people together.
SP: What can you tell me about your fellow cast members? Does anybody stand out to you, from your singular perspective as the lead, as particularly exciting to work with or watch?
Fear: This cast has really been awesome. Liz Martin (playing Rosemary, Finch’s love interest) has been wonderfully supportive and amazing to work with. Ray Esssick and his lovely wife Jenny Gleason (playing Bud Frump, Finch’s rival and Hedy Le Rue, the sexy bombshell that shows up in the office) are also amazing. Jessica Miller (playing the sassy secretary Smitty) is one that you will need to watch out for. She has pipes that will knock people on their butts! All in all, everyone has been great to work with. We really have bonded as a cast.
SP: What’s up next for you? Any Carnivàle Debauche news? Any other theatre projects on the horizon?
Fear: Oh, there are always new projects in the works. Carnivàle Debauche will be making an appearance at the Champaign Blues Festival this summer, and I will be auditioning for CUTC’s summer production of Les Miserables. I am also directing A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum for CUTC next fall. So I will take the next week or so to rest up after the show and then jump back into projects.
~~~~~
For more information on tickets for Champaign-Urbana Theatre Company’s production of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, check out their website. If catchy tunes and big laughs are the sort of thing you enjoy, you should act fast.