By Mirabelle Pendleton

When Mr. Scott Austin chose to direct How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, he knew there was clear social commentary involved.

“I know some people initially thought the play was sexist because the women were mostly secretaries and whatnot,” the director of the show and theater teacher said, “but I know the audiences and students involved realized that the play is a farce pointing out gender inequality that is still, unfortunately, relevant in many fields, like tech.”

The show covered gender imbalances, family connections, and the need to climb the social ladder in the lives of stereotypical employees from the 60s, at the Worldwide Wicket Company, and was held in the Joseph Anzalone Theater on the 18th, 19th, and 20th of May. 

Image: The cast of “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying” performs “Brotherhood of Man” (Credit: Madeline Unger)

“I thought the costuming was very well done and the visual cues seemed very well rehearsed,” Emmett Arberman said.

Other audience members such as Ernesto Costa agreed, and enjoyed seeing people he knew involved, such as Gatch played by junior Paul Dixon

“I was super inspired by my friend Paul’s performance,” the junior said, “it was really fun to watch.”

Even though Arberman liked it, he said the messaging was a bit confusing and outdated.

“It was kind of hard to pick up on the themes,” said the junior. “A lot of jokes were missed and it felt very direct rather than satire.”

For Olive Spence, who played Smitty, she said the experience helped form connections.

“I’ve definitely gotten closer with people I’ve worked with before like Ines, our assistant director.” The junior said, “Once you learn to trust someone you’re on stage with, it creates a better connection.”

Spence is not the only person that values the theater community at Murrow, as emphasized by Mr. Scott Austin.

“Joining a musical means you are joining a community. You have shared jokes and experiences.” Mr. Austin said, “ People are really counting on you showing up each day for rehearsal, and that trickles into the rest of your day.”

Being involved in shows at Murrow can be very time consuming as you are relied on, as explained by Spence.

“I’m here everyday and I’m a junior so I’m balancing AP exams and SATs, and I’m also here on Saturdays,” Spence said during rehearsals, “I do think it’s rewarding though and I’m proud that I’m doing it everyday, it shows a really consistent commitment to what I love.”

Leila O’Keefe, who played Hedy La Rue, agreed.

“I have my school day and then I have a little break and then I’m here from 3 to 6 and when we get closer to the show 3 to 7:30, it’s a lot of work,” the senior said, “Then you have to do work outside of it too to find your character and go over lines, it’s super time consuming but very worth it.”

However this work pays off, as explained by Senior Gareth Hogan, who played Finch.

“People come up in the hallways and dap me up and they’re like ‘you’re that kid’ and I’m like ‘yeah, I was’ and they’re like ‘you’re so cool’,” said Hogan, “it’s really nice.”

Image: Gareth Hogan performing as Finch (Credit: Madeline Unger)