Marriott Theatre’s HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING Begins Aug. 24

Marriott Theatre's HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING Begins Aug. 24 1 From the bustling streets of 1960’s New York City comes the Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize winning musical comedy, HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING, continuing The Marriott Theatre's acclaimed 2016 Season, previewing August 24, running through October 16 with a press opening on Wednesday, August 31 at 8 p.m. at 10 Marriott Drive, Lincolnshire. With book by Abe Burrows, Jack Weinstock and Willie Gilbert, and complemented by an exhilarating score by Frank Loesser, HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING fuses power, ambition, and greed into one biting and clever parody of the business world and all the morals (or lack thereof!) and quirky characters that come with it. Big business means big laughs as Director Don Stephenson puts a fresh spin on the iconic musical, which features choreography by Melissa Zaremba and musical direction by Ryan T. Nelson.

From the bustling streets of 1960’s New York City comes the Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize winning musical comedy, HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING, continuing The Marriott Theatre‘s acclaimed 2016 Season, previewing August 24, running through October 16 with a press opening on Wednesday, August 31 at 8 p.m. at 10 Marriott Drive, Lincolnshire. With book by Abe Burrows, Jack Weinstock and Willie Gilbert, and complemented by an exhilarating score by Frank Loesser, HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING fuses power, ambition, and greed into one biting and clever parody of the business world and all the morals (or lack thereof!) and quirky characters that come with it. Big business means big laughs as Director Don Stephenson puts a fresh spin on the iconic musical, which features choreography by Melissa Zaremba and musical direction by Ryan T. Nelson.

“While much has evolved since the piece was written in the early sixties, many of its themes parallel those of today’s society,” says Director Don Stephenson. “The key is finding the right balance between preserving the show’s satirical nature while also portraying the characters as admirable and relatable to audiences.”

A high-energy lampoon of “big business” life, HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING chronicles the rapid rise of young J. Pierrepont Finch from window washer to Vice President of Advertising at the World Wide Wicket Company. As he quickly makes a name for himself, Finch comes face to face with the harsh reality and obstacles of the business world. From run-ins with hilarious corporate-world stock characters, to bad behavior office parties and, of course, the office romance, Finch soon realizes his ascent up the ranks is anything but a smooth ride. Jam-packed with witty and wry jabs, HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING is musical comedy at its finest, with dazzling dance numbers and songs including “I Believe in You,” “Happy to Keep His Dinner Warm,” and “Brotherhood of Man.”

HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING stars Ari Butler as “J. Pierrepont Finch” (Cleveland Play House: Little Shop of Horrors; Theatre Row: Melissa’s Choice, Ethel Sings and Dreyfus in Rehearsal; 59E59th: Poetic License and Westside Theater: Old Jews Telling Jokes), Jessica Naimy as “Rosemary Pilkington” (Broadway: Honeymoon in Vegas. National Tour: South Pacific; Regional: Rebecca in Somewhere (Hartford Stage), Terry Hamilton as “J.B. Biggley” (The Marriott Theatre: World Premiere ofOctober Sky; Steppenwolf Theatre Company: World Premiere of Airline Highway; Greenhouse Theatre Center: World Premiere of American Myth), Angela Ingersoll as “Hedy LaRue” (Chicago Shakespeare Theater: Shakespeare’s Greatest Hits and The Merry Wives of Windsor), Alex Goodrich  as “Bud Frump” (The Marriott Theatre: World Premiere of HERO, Elf, and On the Town; Northlight Theatre: World Premiere of Shining Lives: A Musical), Felicia P. Fields as “Miss Jones” (Broadway: The Color Purple; The Marriott Theatre: My One and Only and Show Boat; Milwaukee Repertory Theater: Low Down Dirty Blues), Marya Grandy as “Smitty” (The Marriott Theatre: Sister Act, On the Town and 9 to 5; Maltz Jupiter Theatre: World Premiere of Fanny Brice: The Real Funny Girl), Jason Grimm as “Bert Bratt” (Lookingglass Theatre Company: World Premiere of Haddeus and Slocum: A Vaudeville Adventure; The Mercury Theater: World Premiere of The Man Who Murdered Sherlock Holmes), Derek Hasenstab as “Mr. Twimble/Womper” (The Marriott Theatre: World Premiere of October Sky, Spring Awakening; Lookingglass Theatre Company: World Premiere of Eastland). Also starring in HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING is Alejandro Fonseca, Neil Friedman, Kristina Larson-Hauk, Eric Lewis, Ericka Mac, Andrew Malone, Paris Alexander Nesbitt, Alexandra Palkovic, Jeff Pierpoint, Laura Savage, Allison Sill, Brandon Springman and Richard Strimer.

The production will feature set design by Tom Ryan, costume design based on original costume design by Catherine Zuber, lighting design by Jesse Klug, sound design by Bob Gilmartin, properties design by Sally Weiss, musical supervision and orchestra conducted by Patti Garwood.

The performance schedule for HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING is Wednesdays at 1:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., Thursdays and Fridays at 8:00 p.m., Saturdays at 4:30 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., Sundays at 1:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m., with select Thursday 1:00 p.m. shows. Ticket prices range from $50 to $55, including tax and handling fees. Call for student and senior discounts. On Wednesday and Thursday evenings, there are a limited number of dinner and theatre packages available, which can only be purchased through the Marriott Theatre Box Office. On Friday and Saturday evenings, dinner reservations can be made at the King’s Wharf restaurant. On Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, dinners are available at the Fairfield Inn. To make a reservation at either of these two restaurants, please call 847.634.0100. Free parking is available at all performances. To reserve tickets, please call The Marriott Theatre Box Office at 847.634.0200 or go to www.ticketmaster.com. Visit www.MarriottTheatre.com for more information.