Bishop Ireton Theater Arts Presents 'How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying'

Bishop Ireton High School's Theater Arts Department will present its spring musical, "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying," beginning Saturday at 7:30 p.m. in Whaley Auditorium at the school, 201 Cambridge Road in Alexandria. More performances are scheduled for Sunday and next week (see below).

The musical was written by Frank Loesser and book by Abe Burrows, JackWeinstock and Willie Gilbert based on Shepherd Mead's 1952 book of the same name. It opened on Broadway in 1961 and went on to win seven Tony Awards, the New York Drama Critics Circle award and the 1962 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. 

The story centers on a young window-cleaner, J. Pierrepont Finch, who begins a meteoric rise from the mail room to Vice President of Advertising at the World-Wide Wicket Company. Finch's unorthodox and morally questionable business practices jeopardize not only his career but also his romance with Secretary Rosemary Pilkington.

The musical is a satire of corporate life and office politics, packed with memorable songs such as “I Believe in You,” “Brotherhood of Man” and “Been a Long Day.” The musical won both the Tony and Pulitzer Prize for its 1961 debut.

Tickets at the door are $10 for adults, $8 for students and $8 for seniors. More performances are scheduled for Sunday at 2 p.m., Thursday, March 20, at 7 p.m., Friday, March 21 at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, March 22 at 7:30 p.m.

The school canceled the Friday, March 14 performance and added the Thursday, March 20 performance, after theater rehearsal and preparation days were lost due to snow days.