A modern young woman hardly could help but laugh about the comically subservient tune, “Happy to Keep His Dinner Warm,” from Columbus North High School’s latest comic musical.
Senior Emily Sipes knows her way around independence enough to know that she is acting in a grand way while crooning the song from the 1963-era, “How to Succeed at Business Without Really Trying,” opening today and running through Sunday at Judson Erne Auditorium.
Oh, she clearly respects women who have chosen such a supporting role in real life.
She simply views her recipe for success a bit differently, thank you, than her seemingly traditional secretary character of Rosemary.
[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]
“You have to emphasize the sarcasm (in the song),” Sipes said. “Both I and the audience have to be aware of the context that it’s in. It is the Sixties, and it dramatizes how some women once dreamed of the housewife life, and dreamed of a life of being taken care of.
“But that song is definitely not supposed to be taken seriously or literally.”
Amid the #MeToo movement and ample publicity about female entertainers and others pushing for equal pay comes a production brimming with elements of light chauvinism, harassment and more — and mocking it all. One of the songs is titled “A Secretary Is Not a Toy.”
One classic line from the tune: “Her pad is to write in, and not (to) spend the night in.”
“The men all want positions of power because it suits them. And the women are trapped in a world in which they aren’t given any power. And they are bristling against it.”
—John Johnson, director
“With a lot of the period pieces that we do at North, there often are elements of truth presented,” Sipes said. “And part of that reason is that history repeats itself. So, it’s good that we’re talking about this.”
In the show, ambitious J. Pierrepont Finch (played by Ciaran Hill), inspired by the book “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying,” rises from window washer to chairman of the board of the World Wide Wicket Company. North has presented the musical at least twice before since the 1970s.
Director John Johnson originally was not a big fan, but then he realized he had a strong collection of male actors and vocalists. So he took the script off the shelf to take a new look.
“I was sort of taken aback at how funny it really was,” Johnson said of the farce. “And it relates to our selfishness of today — with all of us. Everything is about me — about what people can get for themselves.
“The men all want positions of power because it suits them. And the women are trapped in a world in which they aren’t given any power. And they are bristling against it.”
Johnson added that so much of that seems to dovetail with current news events and developments.
“Guys (back then) were going around like they were the cock of the walk, and women were not allowed into that world,” Johnson said. “That became really interesting to me. And I found a lot of interesting tie-ins.”
[sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”A window on the business world” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]
What: Columbus North High School Drama Department’s production of the musical comedy, “How to Succeed at Business Without Really Trying”
When: 7:30 p.m. today and Saturday; 2:30 p.m. Sunday
Where: Judson Erne Auditorium at Columbus North High School, 1400 25th St. in Columbus
Plot: The story concerns young, ambitious J. Pierrepont Finch, who, with the help of the book “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying,” rises from window washer to chairman of the board of the World Wide Wicket Company.
Tickets: $6, available online via a link on the Facebook page for North Drama. Also available at the door for $8.
Principal characters
- J. Pierrepont Finch: Ciaran Hill
- Rosemary Pilkington: Emily Sipes
- Bud Frump: Josh Johnson
- Smitty: Grace Terry
- J.B. Biggley: Joe Robinson
- Hedy LaRue: Lauren Frederick
- Bert Bratt: Nathan Patton
- Miss Jones: Leah Rodriguez
- Twimble/Womper: Josh DeGroot
- Miss Krumholtz: Molly Nelson
- Gatch/Ovington/TV Announcer: Sam Lay
[sc:pullout-text-end]
