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Love! Drama! Knitting? While one of this things may not usually relate to each other they all were showcased at Rockwood Summit High School’s spring musical How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying.

How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying is based on a book titled the same name by Shepherd Mead, published in 1952. The musical started its first run on Broadway from 1961-1965 but gained a new generation of fans with its 2011 Broadway revival run with many well know actors and celebrities taking on the role of Finch. The story is based around the protagonist, Finch, a young window cleaner, and his experiences working within the World Wide Wicket Company and dealing with all the colorful characters within the company.

Finch was played by the charming Nick Stough. He was always confident and quick to deal with what the arrogant and childish Bud Frump brought his way. Of course though Finch had the full support of Rosemary (Gabrielle Wibbenmeyer), a secretary and Finch’s love interest. Wibbenmeyer with her strong vocal talent did a great job showing the sweet side (like in the song “Happy To Keep His Dinner Warm”) and sassy side (“Paris Original”) of Rosemary.

Scott Saunders who played Bud Frump was a great comic relief throughout the entire show. He was always able to add some sort of humor as soon as he enters the scene whether using actually words or just through his body language and movement. Another standout cast member was Elyse Bertani who played Hedy LaRue, the air head secretary. Bertani did a great job of staying in character and choosing to include an accent that truly enhanced her character.

Along with the slew of talented actors was a strong technical crew behind them. The bright colors of the sets along with the many different set pieces added excitement and really tied the show together. Also utilizing the fly system for many different scene changes was a great idea to speed up the scene changes. Also all the costumes were well chosen and matched the fashion of the 60’s very well.

As with all performances there were some minor problems in the show. There were times when it was very difficult to hear the cast because of the microphones. Also it was a recurring distraction when the stage crew would move the sets while the lights were still on and there was still a scene going on. Lastly some of the group songs seemed to lack energy and enthusiasm.

Besides a few minor flaws Rockwood Summit High School showed that one cannot “stop that man” or the large amount of talent from the cast and crew.

by Desirae Eagle of Pattonville