- Performances: 1,417.
- Open / Close: October 14, 1961 – March 6, 1965
- Theater: 46th Street Theatre.
- Tony Awards: Won 7 awards out of the 8 nominations. Ironically, Frank Loesser, nominated as Best Composer, was the only nominee that didn’t win (he won a Best Musical Tony for his work on “Guys and Dolls.” Other winners included Robert Morse in his leading role and Charles Nelson Reilly for best featured actor for playing Bud Frump.
- Fun Fact: It would be more than 20 years before Robert Morse would be honored again by the Tonys, winning in 1990 for portraying Truman Capote in the one-man show Tru.
Podcast
If you look down the list of Pulitzer Prize-winning musicals, past more recent capital “I” important musicals like “Hamilton” and “A Strange Loop,” you eventually get to “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.” Sure, it’s a caustic take on corporate culture but prize-winning? That seems a stretch, even with the creative team behind arguably the most beloved musical ever, “Guys and Dolls,” on board.
Luckily, I was able to talk to the woman who wrote the book on this subject, Kristin Stultz Pressley, to help make sense of this situation. Her book, “Pulitzer Prize-Winning Musicals: Of Thee I Sing to A Strange Loop,” provides fascinating background on the 10 shows that have earned the prestigious prize and the sometimes unexpected reasons for their recognition.
Dr. Pressley and I dig in deep on “How to Succeed…” and I came away from our conversation with a new appreciation of this show and also a deeper understanding of why it was honored some 60 years ago.
As this episode is being released during Thanksgiving week, I thought it was a great time to highlight new friends I’ve made through this podcast, like Dr. Pressley, and also take a small aside at Black Friday which follows on the heels of the holiday. If you are feeling cynical about capitalism, “How to Succeed…” sure provides plenty of grist for that particular mill!