No longer booking
  • Venue Southwark Playhouse Borough, London
  • Performance dates Booking to 17 June 2023
  • Running time 130 minutes including interval
  • Age guidelines 14+

“Georgie Rankom’s deliciously queered-up production” – TimeOut

How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying is revived at Southwark Playhouse this Spring starring Olivier Award winner Tracie Bennett.

A satire of big business and all it holds sacred, 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.

How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying boasts an exhilarating score by Frank Loesser – one of America’s great composer/lyricists also responsible for ‘Guys & Dolls’ – with songs including ‘I Believe in You’, ‘Brotherhood of Man’ and ‘The Company Way’.

Acclaimed, Olivier Award winner Tracie Bennett (Follies, Hangmen), stars as big boss J B Biggley, with Gabrielle Friedman (Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends) as J. Pierrepont Finch, and Ru Paul’s Drag Race Michelle Visage providing the voice of ‘The Book’.

How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying runs from 12 May to 17 June 2023 at Southwark Playhouse Borough London.

Set in New York in the early 1960s, How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying chronicles the meteoric rise of J. Pierrepont Finch, a young window cleaner who buys a book about rising up the corporate ladder. After following the book’s instructions, Pierrepont Finch soars to the top of his company, dodging more than a few obstacles on the way. These come in the form of rivals such as Bud Frump and J. B. Biggley. According to the book, professional life and work life shouldn’t mix. This is a rule that Finch finds hard to follow when he falls in love with Rosemary, one of his company’s secretaries. As Finch’s confidence grows, he relies more on his charm and less on the book. A dangerous move indeed…

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Performance Information

Check booking calendar for full details


Stars and Creatives

Who is in the cast of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying?

Tracie Bennett (she/her) as J B Biggley

Gabrielle Friedman (she/they) as J. Pierrepont Finch

The voice of Michelle Visage as ‘The Book’

The cast also includes Annie Aitken (she/her) as Hedy LaRue; Taylor Bradshaw (he/him) as Mr Bert Bratt; Allie Daniel (she/her) as Rosemary Pilkington; Elliot Gooch (he/him) as Bud Frump; Grace Kanyamibwa (she/her) as Miss Jones; Danny Lane (he/him) as Mr Twimble/Mr Wally Womper; Milo McCarthy (they/them) as Mr Milton Gatch; and Verity Power (she/her) as Smitty.

Who are the creative team of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying?

Music & Lyrics by Frank Loesser; Book by Abe Burrows, Jack Weinstock & Willie Gilbert. Based on the novel by Shepherd Mead.

The full creative team includes Director Georgie Rankcom (they/them), Choreographer Alexzandra Sarmiento (she/her), Musical Director Natalie Pound (she/her), Set and Costume Designer Sophia Pardon (she/her) Lighting Designer Lucía Sánchez Roldán (she/her), Sound Designer Joshua Robins (he/him), Orchestrator Stuart Morley (he/him), Stage Manager Waverley Moran (she/they), Production Manager Misha Mah (they/them), Casting Director Peter Noden (he/him), Producer / General Manager Jodee Conrad (she/her).

Venue Information

Southwark Playhouse Borough , 77-85 Newington Causeway, London, SE1 6BD

Nearest Tube or Train: Elephant & Castle (Bakerloo line, Northern line)

Nearest Buses: 35, 40, 133, 136, 333, 343, C10, N35, N133, N343

Directions

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Critics' reviews of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying

"The singing is strong and spirited" - The Times

"Georgie Rankom’s deliciously queered-up production" - TimeOut

"Brilliant, thought-provoking" - The Stage


Frequently Asked Questions

How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying is playing at the Southwark Playhouse Borough in London
The running time of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying is 130 minutes including interval
The age recommendations for How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying are: 14+
Yes, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying has matinee performances on the following days: Tuesday, Saturday
No, sorry, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying has now completed its run and is no longer on sale.