HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING
Savoyards Musical Comedy Society, Brisbane.
Auditions: June 12 – 17, 2015
CLICK HERE to meet the production team.
AUDITION PACK & REGISTRATIONS RELEASED APRIL 27 AT WWW.SAVOYARDS.COM.AU
This week I’ve added some detail to the characters of How to Succeed. I’ve also linked video of performances that will be useful in your preparations but there are 2 things I want you to remember:
- Use these videos for inspiration. Don’t feel you have to recreate the performance.
- We’ll be looking for potential within your audition. Nobody expects you to bring a performance ready character into the room. All you are responsible for is bringing your best work.
J. PIERREPONT FINCH
Our story’s protagonist. An irrepressible, clear-eyed, almost puckish hero, he is a window washer who applies for a job at the World Wide Wicket Company and attempts to climb the ‘ladder of success’ using instruction from his little book called “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying”.
Sher’s Notes: Finch seems to know what he’s doing all the time, manipulating his way to the top but there is an element of youthful naivety that shows through, especially when he’s around Rosemary. His cheekiness is never disrespectful which makes him lovable. We all want him to get to the top of the ladder even though we’ve probably had to deal with someone like him at some point in our lives. You should be comfortable on stage, confident and with a great sense of comedic timing. Consider the importance of creating a connection with the audience that makes them feel as though they are sharing a secret with you, all without ‘playing to them’. Robert Morse, the original Finch, captured this beautifully.
Male :: Playing Age 22 – 30 yrs old
Vocal Range C3 – G4
ROSEMARY PILKINGTON
A secretary at the company who is more interested in finding a man than advancing her career. She becomes Finch’s love interest.
Sher’s Notes: Rosemary is one of those people you feel has had too much coffee. She’s bouncy, bright, smart, cute, bubbly and totally focused on getting her man – Finch. She uses all her feminine ways to try to attract his attention but is young and naive in the ways of relationships, dreaming of the clichéd life in her white picket fenced house with Finch by her side. She is adorable and full of energy and determined never to give up.
Female :: Playing Age 20-30 yrs old
Vocal Range A3 – B4
J.B. BIGGLEY
The stuffed-shirt, philandering President of World Wide Wicket. Beneath his ruthless exterior, he is a college lad at heart with a passion for knitting.
Sher’s Notes: Everything about this man is BIG. He talks big, he takes over a room when he enters it, he’s blustery and old-fashioned but he deals with the stressful life of the executive by knitting. This BIG character shows contrast when he’s relating to Hedy LaRue, his mistress. It’s like he can no longer think straight when he’s around her.
Male :: Playing Age 50-65 yrs old
Vocal Range C3 – A4
HEDY LaRUE
A voluptuous, sexually charged woman adored by all of the men. She may appear dim-witted, but she knows how to manipulate men to get what she wants.
Sher’s Notes: This physicality of this character is a major part of the role. Hedy has attracted the attentions of men for all the wrong reasons and has learned to deal with them on her terms. She wants to better herself but she is coarse and unrefined. She behaves in the way she understands a lady to be but doesn’t always hit the mark. Hedy has her own moral compass and has a heart of gold making her likeable. A wonderfully comedic role. Be careful to maintain control of the character so avoid it tipping over the edge into ‘ham’. She ain’t no dummy.
Female :: Playing Age 25-35 yrs old
Vocal Range C4 – Eb5
BUD FRUMP
Biggley’s nephew and a scheming employee. He is an arrogant sycophant who tries to advance his career by exploiting his family connections.
Sher’s Notes: Bud is the sort of character you want to hit up the side of the head with a wet fish. He’s a big baby that runs to mummy when he wants something or things don’t go his way. Be careful not to ham this character up too much. The script is full of laughs for him but if you push too hard the character will just come off as annoying instead of funny. Let the script do the work, keep control of the character and be deliberate in your choices of movement and mannerisms.
Male :: 25 – 30 yrs old
Vocal Range C3 – F4
SMITTY
A secretary with a painfully dry sense of humor. She is a cynical, working woman who is on the lookout for a man.
Sher’s Notes: I love the Smitty. She’s wise in the ways of the world, has a dry and witty sense of humour, a heart of gold and is a wonderful comedic partner for Rosemary [the absolute opposite]. Smitty is older and wiser and can get exasperated by Rosemary but loves her anyway. Smitty is on the look out for a husband and isn’t wasting time with subtlety, although she’s always a lady. She can see straight away that Finch is not the helpless young man Rosemary believes him to be. Her song, “Been A Long Day” displays her maturity compared to Finch and Rosemary. She tries to be subtle in bring them together but her frustration grows as the song progresses.
Female :: 30-40 yrs old
Vocal Range A#3 – G5
MISS JONES
J.B. Biggley’s stuffy secretary who is abrupt and tough, but soft and kind to those who are good to her.
Sher’s Notes: Miss Jones is old school, ladylike, intelligent and tough. Her vocal style in “The Brotherhood of Man” must be strong enough to carry over the male chorus [microphones are used]. By this we mean that you should be technically proficient to create a strong swing style with the strength of an operatic or belt singer. She can run an entire office with precision and is like a well dressed bulldozer when a task is required of her. She has been Biggley’s secretary for many years and knows everything that goes on.
Female :: 45-65 yrs old
Vocal Range Bb3 – Gb5
THE EXECUTIVES: GATCH, JENKINS, TACKABERRY, PETERSON, BRATT.
Sher’s Notes: These guys are manipulating their way up the corporate ladder and it’s obvious. They are wary of anyone who attracts attention of Mr Biggley, namely Finch. I want to create a collection of varying personalities in this group [including the male chorus]. You have the freedom to build your own unique character. Be brash, strong, or you might choose the stereotypical ‘accountant’ character, etc. It’s up to you as I need a large group of unique characters.
Male :: 30-60 yrs old
Varying vocal ranges.
MR. TWIMBLE
He is a fussy, old-fashioned, yet loyal employee at the company. Supervisor of the mailroom, he believes his success is due to his lack of ambition and ability to remain unnoticed.
Sher’s notes: Twimble is proud of his 25 years in the mail room. He’s a committed company man and proud of it and eager to share all he’s learned with Finch, probably the first person to ask him about his career. He isn’t scared of Bud’s ‘connections’; he’s been around too long and knows too much. A wonderful role for a mature actor.
Male :: 60-75 yrs old
Vocal Range C#3 – E4
WALLY WOMPER
The company’s Chief Executive Officer and a former window-washer.
Sher’s Notes: Wally is Finch in a former life. He started out as a window washer and worked his way to the top of the corporate ladder. He still has that twinkle in his eye but is also an astute executive who is well aware of the manipulation of the ‘career man’. He is excited when he finds out that Finch was a window washer as well. He looks down on the ‘college’ men that populate his executives as he considers himself self-made and therefore superior. He also eventually attracts Hedy LaRue.
Male :: 55-70 yrs old
Vocal Range D3 – E4
MISS KRUMHOLTZ
A featured secretary with lines.
No solo songs so vocal range is open.
CLEANING LADIES
I’m looking for a couple of mature aged actresses to create a cleaning lady team. These characters have lines but I’ve created recurring business throughout the show for them. Great little roles for anyone willing to have a bit of fun with them.
No solo songs so vocal range is open.
There are lots of performance opportunities throughout the show for chorus and every one is comedic. I’m having so much fun blocking and designing this show and I can’t wait to cast it and add your sparkle and skills to it.
Remember, the Audition Pack is released on the Savoyards website on April 27.
See you in June.
Cheers, Sher.
MAKE YOUR ENTRANCE is written by Sherryl-Lee Secomb to equip and encourage performers auditioning for Savoyards Musical Comedy Society, Brisbane, Australia.
www.savoyards.com.au
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