Tracie Bennett to star in HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING at Southwark Playhouse

Double Olivier Award winner, four-time Olivier Award nominee and Tony Award nominee Tracie Bennett will star as J.B. Biggley in How to Succeed in Business’ Without Really Trying at Southwark Playhouse (Borough) from 12 May-17 June, it has been announced.

Currently working on a film in New York, Tracie recorded a video saying: “I’m excited to tell you that I’m coming back to London to start rehearsing the 1960s satirical musical, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. I’ll be playing a man. Yes, it was bound to happen some time, wasn’t it? With these very dulcet tones of mine! Looking forward to it very much. Lots of love for now and I’ll see you soon!”

Director Georgie Rankcom said: “Our approach to this wonderful show is to trust the brilliant original and let the satire shine. To find the best possible company to tell this story, we expanded our ideas of who can play and embody these roles. When you’re looking for someone with the charisma and power to be the high powered boss with a flare for the occasional musical number, Tracie Bennett quickly becomes the top choice. I’m honoured and excited to be working with her on bringing this new version of How to Succeed to the stage.”

How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying is a comic gem that took Broadway by storm in 1961, winning both the Tony Award for Best Musical and a Pulitzer Prize. It was revived twice on Broadway in acclaimed productions starring Matthew Broderick and Daniel Radcliffe.

A satire of big business and all it holds sacred, it follows the rise of J. Pierrepont Finch, who uses a little handbook called How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying (voiced in the Southwark production by Michelle Visage of Ru Paul’s Drag Race fame) to climb the corporate ladder from lowly window washer to high-powered executive, tackling such familiar but potent dangers as the aggressively compliant “company man”, the office party, backstabbing co-workers, caffeine addiction and, of course, true love.

The musical boasts an exhilarating score by Frank Loesser - one of America’s great composer/lyricists, also responsible for Guys & Dolls (currently a massive hit at the Bridge Theatre) - including ‘I Believe in You’, ‘Brotherhood of Man’ and ‘The Company Way’.

Further casting is to be announced.

The production will be choreographed by Alexzandra Sarmiento, with musical direction by Natalie Pound, set and costume design by Sophia Pardon, lighting by Lucía Sánchez Roldán, sound by Joshua Robins, orchestrations by Stuart Morley, and casting by Peter Noden.

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