The Paramount Theatre's world premiere of the new musical The Secret of My Success, based on the 1987 movie starring Michael J. Fox, officially opened February 21 following previews that began February 12.
Holiday Inn’s Gordon Greenberg directs the production, which continues through March 29 at the Illinois venue. Greenberg also co-wrote the book for the new musical with Steve Rosen (The Other Josh Cohen); the score is by Chicago writers Michael Mahler (October Sky, Diary of a Wimpy Kid) and Alan Schmuckler (Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Kidding).
See what critics had to say about the new musical below.
Around the Town Chicago (Alan Bresloff)
Chicago Sun Times (Catey Sullivan)
The cast is led by Billy Harrigan Tighe as Brantley/Carlton, Melody A. Betts as Rose Lockhart, Sydney Morton as Christy Lockhart, Kai Edgar as Ernie Lockhart, Jeremy Peter Johnson as Piers Johnson, Heidi Kettenring as Vera Prescott, Barbara Robertson as Joanne Foster, Gabriel Ruiz as Lester Mann, Sara Sevigny as Sylvia Popkin, and Ian Michael Stuart as Garth Portnoy.
The ensemble includes Dara Cameron, Brandon Dahlquist, Vasily Deris, Veronica Garza, Carisa Gonzalez, Madison Kauffman, George Keating, Jake Morrissy, Camille Robinson, Alexis J. Roston, Haley Jane Schafer, Jonathan Schwart, Charles Emery Ward, and Travis Austin Wright. Ezekiel Ruiz is the understudy the role of Ernie Lockhart.
The Secret of My Success concerns Brantley Foster, a Midwesterner who moves to New York City to start his dream job at a major corporation, only to be laid off on the very first day. In his relentless enthusiasm to succeed, Brantley finds himself tangled up in a scheme in which he assumes the identity of rising executive Carlton Whitfield.
The creative team also includes choreographer Amber Mak, orchestrator Charlie Rosen, music supervisor Ian Weinberger, music director-conductor Tom Vendafreddo, scenic designer Jeff Kmiec, costume designer Mara Blumenfeld, lighting designer Greg Hofmann, sound designer Adam Rosenthal, projection designer Mike Tutaj, wig, hair, and makeup designer Katie Cordts, properties designer Jesse Gaffney, electronic music designer Ethan Deppe, intimacy and fight choreographer Rachel Flesher, assistant director Marty McGuire, associate choreographer Charles Emery Ward, associate music director-associate conductor Celia Villacres, stage manager Amber Johnson, and assistant stage manager Kathleen Barrett.
