Anderson's Voice On Broadway!

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CNN's Anderson Cooper Will Lend His Voice to Daniel Radcliffe Revival of How to Succeed...

By Andrew Gans
and Adam Hetrick
18 Jan 2011

Emmy and Peabody Award-winning journalist Anderson Cooper will make his Broadway debut as the pre-recorded voice of the narrator in the upcoming revival of How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying starring Daniel Radcliffe. Performances will begin Feb. 26 at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre.

Cooper follows in the footsteps of Walter Cronkite, who was the voice of the narrator in the 1995 revival of the musical starring Matthew Broderick.

"Harry Potter" and Equus star Radcliffe will star as J. Pierrepont Finch with Emmy Award-winning actor John Larroquette ("Night Court") as World Wide Wicket Company president J.B. Biggley.

Principal casting also features Emmy Award winner and Tony Award nominee Tammy Blanchard (Gypsy, "Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows") as office bombshell Hedy La Rue, Christopher J. Hanke (In My Life, Cry-Baby) as Bud Frump, Rose Hemingway (Parade at the Mark Taper Forum) in her Broadway debut as Rosemary Pilkington, Rob Bartlett (Chicago, Little Shop of Horrors) as Twimble/Wally Womper, Mary Faber (American Idiot, Avenue Q) as Smitty and Ellen Harvey (Thou Shalt Not, The Music Man) as Miss Jones. Michael Park (Middletown) joins the cast as Bert Bratt.

The How to Succeed ensemble will feature Cameron Adams, Cleve Asbury, Tanya Birl, Kevin Covert, Paige Faure, David Hull, Justin Keyes, Marty Lawson, Erica Mansfield, Barrett Martin, Nick Mayo, Sarah O'Gleby, Stephanie Rothenberg, Megan Sikora, Michaeljon Slinger, Joey Sorge, Matt Wall, Ryan Watkinson, Charlie Williams and Samantha Zack.

Directed and choreographed by Tony Award winner Rob Ashford (Promises, Promises), How to Succeed will officially open March 27.

Designing the production are Derek McLane (set design) Catherine Zuber (costume design), Howell Binkley (lighting design), Jon Weston (sound design), Doug Besterman (orchestrations) and David Chase (music director and arranger).

The 50th anniversary revival is produced by Broadway Across America (John Gore, Thomas B. McGrath, Beth Williams), Craig Zadan, Neil Meron, Joseph Smith, Michael McCabe, Candy Spelling, Takonkiet Viravan/Scenario Thailand, Two Left Feet Productions/PowerArts, Jen Namoff/Fakston Productions, Hilary A. Williams, Larry Kaye/Paul Chau/Daniel Frishwasser/Michael Jackowitz, Michael Speyer-Bernie Abrams/Jacki Florin-Adam Blanshay/TBS Service.

How to Succeed… features a score by Loesser with a book by Abe Burrows, Jack Weinstock and Willie Gilbert. The original 1961 production earned seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Author and Best Score, as well as the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Robert Morse earned a Tony Award for his performance as J. Pierrepont Finch.

How to Succeed… follows a young window washer, who with the help of the titular book, rises to the top of the World Wide Wickets Company in New York City.

Rob Ashford earned a 2002 Best Choreography Tony Award for Thoroughly Modern Millie. He has been Tony-nominated for Cry-Baby, Curtains and The Wedding Singer. He earned acclaim for directing the Donmar Warehouse productions of A Streetcar Named Desire and Parade.

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How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying

Following the advice of a book entitled "How to Succeed in Business" a young window-cleaner, J. Pierrepont Finch, begins a meteoric rise from the mail-room to Vice President of Advertising at the World-Wide Wicket Company. Finch’s unorthodox and morally-questionable business practices jeopardize not only his career but also his romance with secretary Rosemary Pilkington. With a beloved score by Frank Loesser, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying is packed with hit standards such as “I Believe in You,” “Happy to Keep His Dinner Warm,” “The Company Way,” “Been a Long Day,” “Rosemary,” and “Brotherhood of Man.”