Review: 'How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying'

East Lyme, CT - So this is the first time in almost nine years that I typed East Lyme, or anything in New London county for that matter, at the beginning of a review. When the East Lyme Regional Theater reached out to me to attend the closing performance of HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING, I decided to make the trip to the lovely town of East Lyme and break into a new CT county. I was extremely glad that I did.

H2$ is a charming musical set in the fifties with the book written by Abe Burrows (the father of TV director James Burrows,) Jack Weinstock and Willie Gilbert, with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser (GUYS AND DOLLS) and based upon the book by Shepherd Mead.

“A show like HOW TO SUCCEED...requires a large amount of dedication and energy from its performers. We have been fortunate to gather a company of wonderful dancers, hilarious actors and amazing singers. The cast members have worked tirelessly to bring this show to life, not only performing their roles on stage but helping behind the scenes too.” - Erin Sousa-Stanley in her director’s note

The ELRT production was beautifully directed and choreographed by founder and Artistic Director Erin Sousa-Stanley. Truth be told, Ms. Sousa-Stanley’s credits were a big part of what drew me to make the trip to see her work. She was a recipient of a CT Critics Circle Award (before I became a member, unfortunately) and has a Eugene O’Neill Award for performing. She has directed the Halo-Award winning Stonington HS Theater Dept. for over 15 years and now directs the East Lyme HS Drama program as well. The gifted teacher was recently awarded the Stephen Sondheim Award for Best Director; I unfortunately had to miss this awards gala at the Shubert in New Haven this year, but I am certainly familiar with her shows. In fact, the Stonington HS production of HELLO, DOLLY! was awarded the Halo for Best Classical Musical in May and from the scene that I saw (and mentioned in the wrap up I wrote of that evening quoted below,) it was well-deserved.

“Stonington HS had the chance to perform a fine medley from their musical HELLO, DOLLY! With piano accompaniment, the cast sang and danced in full costume with props and impressed the audience. I was not surprised that Stonington went on to win the Halo for Best Classical Musical at the end of the evening.”

I was impressed with just about everything about this ELRT of H2$, from the technical aspects (especially the costumes,) the outstanding choreography and the level of talent of each and every member of the adult and teen-aged cast. This show marks the tenth year for the non-profit ELRT.

The triple threat actor Spencer Stanley brought charm and grace to the role of J. Pierrepont F-i-n-c-h in his 13th production with this company. He received a Halo nomination for his role as Skye in East Lyme HS’ GUYS AND DOLLS and has already appeared on the stages of Goodspeed, Ivoryton and 54 Below in NYC. This young man will go far.

Chloe Kolbenheyer was simply lovely as Rosemary Pilkington, with a clear singing voice to round out her performance. This young lady played Irene Malloy in HELLO, DOLLY! at Stonington HS, but she credits ELRT with sparking her passion for performing.

Dan Healy, an attorney from Lisbon, played well the big boss J.B. Biggley in his ELRT debut, even in his very loud golf ensemble. Emily Young was the sexy Hedy Larue in her fifth ELRT production, with a great accent and extra padding to accentuate her bottom.

Grace Gilbert, who deservedly won her third Halo Award in May for the Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Classical Musical as Dolly Gallagher in HELLO, DOLLY!, made the most of the role of Smitty. What I didn’t know was that she was also nominated for a Stephen Sondheim Award for the same performance. This young actress, now a freshman at Plymouth State University, owned the role of Rosemary’s friend and I couldn’t take my eyes off of her performance.

“I know blood is thicker than water, but Bud Frump is thicker than anything.”

Christopher-David Carabello looked like he was having so much fun in the role of J.B.’s nephew Bud Frump. This young actor is a senior at Stonington HS and played Barnaby Tucker in HELLO, DOLLY!, for which he was nominated for a Halo AND a Sondheim Award. Christine Healy, a teacher, was strong in the role of J.B.’s secretary Miss Jones and Ivy Allik, a rising sophomore at WCSU, played the role of Miss Krumholtz.

The cast was full of gentlemen that could sing and dance. Marc Bibeau played executive Mr. Bratt in his sixth ELRT show. Opera singer Eric Bowles was Gatch, Chris Gregor (who won a Halo for his role as Nicely Nicely in GUYS AND DOLLS and is heading to WCSU in the fall) was Jenkins, Ben Huynh (who is heading to Hofstra U in the fall) was Toynbee, East Lyme HS senior Branden Matias played Ovington, and Erich Phelps (Cornelius Hackl in HELLO, DOLLY!) was Tackaberry. Nick Tucko covered both Johnson and Davis and Dan Robinson was a police officer, just as he was in HELLO, DOLLY! Jaron Wilbur stood out in the role of mail room supervisor Mr. Twimble in his sixth production with ELRT. Martin Lane had the fun role of Chairman of the Board Wally Womper in his ELRT debut. First Selectman Mark Nickerson served as the book voice after he made his curtain speech and introduced the director to the audience.

Shout outs to the very talented featured dancers Nathan am Ende, Noah am Ende, Ava Brunnock, Lauren Eppler, Paige Kelly, Daven Roberts and Gabby Villa.

Featured secretaries in the ensemble included Hazel Allik, Emma Caufield, Jordan Godburn, Liz Hall, Samantha Harris, Erin Healy, Susan Kolbenheyer, Shaelin McMunn, Hannah Morrison, Ebba Anna Pelligrino, Kristina Pugatch and Maggie Welch. Each was a strong dancer in their authentic secretary garb of the period.

Overall, the choreography was inventive and perfectly executed. I loved “Coffee Break” and “Brotherhood of Man,” two dance numbers that rivaled the Broadway version. Daven Roberts (who is headed for Fordham in the fall,) Paige Kelly (an East Lyme HS senior) and Erich Phelps were the dance captains and Cory Candelet was credited with additional choreography.

The credit for the fabulous costumes goes to Wendianne Caraballo. Isabel Cavalieri, a junior at Sacred Heart University, and Sara Kelly were the stage managers, and the almost flawless sound design was by Matt Li. Robert MacPherson designed the fine lighting. Lisa Young and Eileen Godburn gathered the period props and Will Allik designed the corporate set.

The musical director was Chris Stanley, the husband of the director. Mr. Stanley is in his 21st year as the choral/musical director at Stonington HS and music directs and performs with Cabaret-2-Go. He called in a favor from 19 fellow musicians to make up the pit orchestra that sat in front of the stage. The pit musicians made the score sound glorious under the direction of Mr. Stanley. Seven reeds, four violins and kazoos; “Wow” just about sums it up.

The residents in this area of New London county are fortunate to have access to such high-quality productions at an affordable price in a very comfortable venue.I hope that they will continue to support this regional theater group.

There were interesting slides projected before the performance began. I was treated with the utmost courtesy by the production team and was honored to meet some of its members. I was so impressed to see three members of the cast performing on WTNH’s CT Style on Channel 8. A “thank you” is in order for including me on the list of people given special thanks in the program, for I didn’t really do that much, but please invite me back.

Nancy Sasso Janis, writing theatre reviews since 2012 as a way to support local venues, posts well over 100 reviews each year. In 2016, her membership in the Connecticut Critics Circle began and her contributions of theatrical reviews, previews, and audition notices are posted not only in the Naugatuck Patch but also on the Patch sites closest to the venue. Follow the reviewer on her Facebook pages Nancy Sasso Janis: Theatre Reviewer and Connecticut Theatre Previews and on Twitter @nancysjanis417 Check out the NEW CCC Facebook page.

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