The Barn Theatre is preparing to launch its next production, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, on Tuesday, Aug 19, following a run of My Fair Lady that concludes Aug 17. The 1961 musical, which originally starred Robert Morse on Broadway and was later revived with Daniel Radcliffe in 2011, tells the satirical story of a window washer who climbs the corporate ladder using a self-help book.
Two first-year “Barnies,” or apprentices at the Barn Theatre School, are stepping into leading roles. John Junkins, a rising junior from New York City, will play J. Pierpont Finch, while Abby Grace Messing, a rising senior from Clio, Michigan, takes on the role of Rosemary Pilkington as the female lead. Junkins came directly from finishing his semester in New York City, while Messing, who attends Viterbo University in Wisconsin, applied to "probably 40 places" during her summer stock search before landing at the Barn Theatre. Junkins and Messing, along with Barn Theatre School Dean Penelope Alex, join Cara Lieurance to talk about the musical.
Director Eric Parker, who currently stars as Professor Higgins in My Fair Lady, will helm the production. The supporting cast includes Mark Mumford, a Western Michigan University student, as the antagonistic Bud Frump, and veteran character actors Charlie King and John Jay Espino in comic roles.
The fast-paced production schedule can be a blur. "This is 10 days of rehearsal," Alex explains, describing the intensive process that includes teaching music, blocking, choreography, and culminating in a single dress rehearsal Monday night before Tuesday's opening.
How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying runs for two weeks starting Tuesday, August 19. Following this production, the Barn Theatre will present an original work, "Our American Assassin," written by Brendan Ragotzy about the manhunt for John Wilkes Booth.
Tickets and details are available at the Barn Theatre website.
