Chicago Tribune - Somewhat Recommended
"...It all moves at lightning speed, which is perfectly fine, given that one of the central themes of the work is neurosis and that Finch's ambition waits for no man, or woman. But "How to Succeed" cannot be too fast for love, otherwise Finch might just as well have kept his squeegee."
Chicago Sun Times - Highly Recommended
"...At the Marriott Theatre, where the show is receiving a winningly zany, high energy production, director Don Stephenson (who just happens to be married to Loesser’s daughter), and his altogether invaluable choreographer, Melissa Zaremba, have remained wholly true to the manners and mores of the story’s time period, and have happily resisted any effort to warp its essential spirit by trying to make it politically correct by current standards."
Daily Herald - Highly Recommended
"...But it's often the wacky characters surrounding Finch and Rosemary who end up hogging all the comedy spotlights, which are precision-lit with swirling verve by lighting designer Jesse Klug. Terry Hamilton crafts a hilariously idiosyncratic portrait of powerful company president J.B. Biggley. He's marvelously matched in humorous style by Angela Ingersoll as Biggley's vivacious and vacuous mistress Hedy La Rue, whose sexual allure is comically enhanced by the revealing outfits of costume designer Catherine Zuber (her astute period work from the 2011 Broadway revival starring Daniel Radcliffe has been re-created at the Marriott)."
Chicago Reader - Highly Recommended
"...I don't know if we can call it a roll yet, but Marriott Theatre has definitely got some momentum when it comes to reviving 1960s-vintage Broadway musicals. Earlier this summer they staged a truly fierce Man of La Mancha. Now they're back with a How to Succeed that's not just fast and funny but brings out the musical's wry satirical edge in unexpected ways."
Time Out Chicago - Somewhat Recommended
"...Yet the production handles the ’60s corporate satire just as tentatively, unsure what to do with jokes about blind company loyalty and a depiction of big business as equally anonymous and innocuous. The show’s view of business is so alien to modern audiences that the entire rhythm is thrown off; even the great Felicia P. Fields feels a bit flustered when asked to fuel the big climactic number “Brotherhood of Man.”"
ShowBizChicago - Highly Recommended
"...Climbing the corporate ladder is never an easy task. However with the musical How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, it appears to be very seamless. This show now appearing at the Marriott Lincolnshire Theatre still has all of the appeal to experience enjoyable musical theatre."
ChicagoCritic - Recommended
"...Although a great deal has changed over the half century since this musical first showed audiences "How to...," the sheer lunacy of corporate America is as much a laughing matter today as ever. Corporate bailouts anyone? There are still executives no doubt spending sleepless nights sending out emails about the excessive amount of emails going out of their offices. We still have mindless decisions made by inept committees, although we're not sure if they are actually human or automated. By the time the next revival of "How 2" rolls out it may in fact be cast entirely with robots. I just hope they can be programmed with a small measure of the vast talent that Chicago area audiences often take for granted."
Around The Town Chicago - Highly Recommended
"... I am often asked why they don’t create musicals like the good old days? The answer is fairly easy- the people who wrote the music , lyrics and stories are no longer here to create the lovely musicals that have an audience humming and dancing as they exit the theater. Yes, in the “good old days”, before the world became sophisticated via the Internet, we went to the theater to escape from the reality of life and to have a good time. Let’s go back to those thrilling days of yesteryear ( the 1960’s/ which by the way were my golden days during college) as Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire puts on its stage the Tony Award winning “How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying” based on the book by Shepherd Mead with a book by Abe Burrows, Jack Weinstock and Willie Gilbert and Music and Lyrics by Frank Loesser ( think “Guys and Dolls and you know just how great the songs are)."
Chicago Theatre Review - Highly Recommended
"...This production is enthralling and absolutely flawless. It’s fast-paced, filled with wonderful songs that theatergoers will leave humming and comic characters who won’t soon be forgotten. Kudos to Jason Grimm, Derek Hasenstab and Felicia P. Fields in their supporting roles, equally stupendous and sidesplitting, as is the entire ensemble of talented singers and dancers. Thomas M. Ryan’s spartan scenic design, beautifully highlighted by Jesse Klug’s moving, kaleidoscopic, geometric lighting accent Catherine Zuber’s rainbow-colored, period fashions to their finest. Don Stephenson, working together with Melissa Zaremba and Ryan T. Nelson, have guided their talented cast of triple-threats to entertain and instruct audiences how to effortlessly rise up the corporate ladder and achieve musical harmony and hilarity, all at the same time."
Chicagoland Theater Reviews - Recommended
"...Director Don Stephenson is content to let the show ride the farcical rails for much of the evening until those final scenes, when the silliness turns into honest-to-goodness satire. Choreographer Melissa Zaremba designed the animated dances leading up to the triumphant "I Believe in Me" and "The Brotherhood of Man" numbers."
NewCity Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...But Marriott keeps the parody situational and lets the characters warm our hearts. Remember the small screen? Remember the double-takes and the then-appropriate-now-unforgivable sexual double entendres? Take a dance down memory lane."
