Tony Award winner Rob Ashford (Parade, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Cry-Baby), who also staged the Broadway revival of the 1960's office-set musical Promises, Promises the previous season, directed and choreographed How to Succeed, which began previews Feb. 26.
The jazz-flavored musical features a score by Frank Loesser with a book by Abe Burrows, Jack Weinstock and Willie Gilbert.
Here is a look at the opening night:
The cast also featured Emmy Award-winning actor John Larroquette ("Night Court") as World Wide Wicket Company president J.B. Biggley, Emmy Award winner and Tony Award nominee Tammy Blanchard (Gypsy, "Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows") as office bombshell Hedy La Rue, Christopher J. Hanke (In My Life, Cry-Baby) as Bud Frump, Rose Hemingway (Parade at the Mark Taper Forum) in her Broadway debut as Rosemary Pilkington, Rob Bartlett (Chicago, Little Shop of Horrors) as Twimble/Wally Womper, Mary Faber (American Idiot, Avenue Q) as Smitty, Ellen Harvey (Thou Shalt Not, The Music Man) as Miss Jones and Michael Park (Middletown) as Bert Bratt. The How to Succeed ensemble featured Cameron Adams, Cleve Asbury, Tanya Birl, Kevin Covert, Paige Faure, David Hull, Justin Keyes, Marty Lawson, Erica Mansfield, Barrett Martin, Nick Mayo, Sarah O'Gleby, Stephanie Rothenberg, Megan Sikora, Michaeljon Slinger, Joey Sorge, Matt Wall, Ryan Watkinson, Charlie Williams and Samantha Zack.
Anderson Cooper was the voice of the narrator to the trusty "How to Succeed" guidebook for corporate success. The musical traces the rise of a young window washer, who with the help of the titular book, rises from the mail room to the top of the World Wide Wicket Company in New York City.
