The Music Department Shows Us All "How to Succeed"

Texas A&M University-Commerce's Department of Music will perform the Broadway hit “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.”

“How to Succeed” is a musical with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by Abe Burrows, Jack Weinstock and Willie Gilbert. It is based on a work by the same name written by Shepherd Mead. The show has won the 1962 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, the 1962 Tony Award for Best Musical, among several other awards. It opened for the first time in 1961 and has had multiple revivals. The show is directed by Dr. Jennifer Glidden and conducted by Dr. Randall Hooper.

“'How to Succeed' is a high energy, entertaining and hysterical show,” said Dr. Glidden. “I am so proud of this 40-member-plus cast and crew and am very blessed to have such dedicated, talented and charismatic performers. This is a show you won’t want to miss.”

The story of “How to Succeed” follows the rise of J. Pierrepont Finch, who uses a small handbook by the same name to climb the corporate ladder from lowly window washer to high-powered executive. On his journey, he encounters typical dangers such as the aggressively obedient “company man,” the office party person(s), back-stabbing co-workers, caffeine addiction and true love with the beautiful Rosemary Pilkington. The show hosts many fan favorite musical numbers such as “I Believe in You,” “Brotherhood of Man,” “Paris Original” and “The Company Way.”

“This show has been an absolute pleasure to work on,” said Cameron Dinkens, who plays Finch. “It's not often that you get to play with the actual material as much as we have, and getting to do it with this specific cast and crew of friends and colleagues makes it even more amazing!”

The show will run April 28-30 at 7:30 p.m. and May 1 at 3 p.m. in Ferguson Auditorium. Tickets are $5 for students with an I.D., $10 for seniors and $15 for adults. Tickets can be purchased at www.tamuc.edu/music.