Hayes Theatre Company has had a great season this year with a varied and exciting program across genres and eras but How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying was always going to be one of the tougher sells. Presenting a classic Broadway-style show very much harking back to the Golden Age, the musical follows window washer J. Pierrepont Finch as he tries to make it in the corporate world and manages to scam his way up to the top of one of the biggest companies in the world by sheer grit, determination and manipulation and while the musical is a Pulitzer Prize winner, it definitely feels dated on a modern-day stage, even if its themes remain quite relevant, meaning that there is a lot of work for the cast and production team to do to bring this musical up to a standard that genuinely engages people. 

In spite of some relatively dry and lacklustre music and writing, the show actually has quite an interesting premise and the cast, led by Jake Speer, do an exceptional job of trying to bring out the themes and bring life to this musical. Speer proves himself to be the ultimate professional, handling the ‘triple threat’ nature of the role with ease and Georgia Laga’aia shows off a really quite beautiful voice that brings energy to the show. It is quite a skill to make something out of these songs but the pair do a fine job and are definitely the highlight of the show. The supporting characters are also excellent, with Max McDonald as the scheming Bud Frump and Simon Burke as CEO J.B. Biggley the main standouts although everyone in the cast is strong. 

Unfortunately, this show is just too long, spanning nearly three hours with a heap of repetition and not enough interest in the songs to justify such a length. While Cameron Mitchell’s choreography is strong, there just isn’t enough substance in this show as it relies on slapstick, archetypal narrative that just feels incredibly dated rather than much of actual interest. Perhaps more relevance to the present day or to current events, would have made this more palatable and engaging but this did ultimately feel like a musical that could have been confined to the dustbin for a more relevant and engaging work, like the many others that Hayes has put on this year.

Overall, while this is an intriguing premise and the cast in this production is very strong, the musical never quite takes off and it fails to justify its extremely long runtime. With a musical that is quite repetitive and devoid of the necessary relevance or engagement to really bring the audience into its world ultimately, this did feel like a challenge that was perhaps a little too far upstream, in spite of the excellent production values from the Hayes. This is a premise that can still work, but this perhaps is not the material to do so. 

Rating: ★★★

How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying plays at the Hayes Theatre until 27 September 2026. For more information, click here. 

All photo credits: John McRae