The Secret of My Success is a 1987 movie with Michael J. Fox that is perhaps remembered more fondly than reviewers and audiences of the time judged it.
But the new musical version of
The Secret of My Success about to make its regional premiere at Theatre Under the Stars is an almost wholly different animal, updated, renovated and the recipient of rave reviews when it played in Chicago.
Sally Wilfert, who plays Vera Prescott in the show (and who was last seen in the 2010 TUTS production of
Mamma Mia!), says she's incredibly honored to be in on the ground floor of a brand new musical.
"I love to do new work. It's an opportunity for me to create and develop a role. And [TUTS Artistic Director] Dan [Knechtges] is such an amazing director and creator and I love collaborating with him," she says. "I did the
25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee in which he was nominated for a Tony. I did the national tour. I also did
Mamma Mia! here in 2018."
Ben Fankhauser stars as Brantley Foster, the young careerist looking for a way up the corporate chain. Ashley Blanchett plays Christy Lockhart and Brian Mathis returns to TUTS in the role of Piers Johnson.
Houston favorite, Susan Koozin (a scene stealer in
Lend Me a Soprano at the Alley) is playing Joann Foster. Melrose Johnson who made her TUTS debut in
Ain’t Misbehavin’ joins the cast as Rose. Students from the TUTS Humphreys School are on stage. Knechtges directs.
Asked to describe her character, Wilfert says, "Vera is a very successful businesswoman. She's a best-selling author, a relationship expert. She's also the board chair of Prescott Industries and Prescott is a multinational finance company that was started by her grandfather. He took it from this small cannery and it became this enormous company. So she's part of this legacy from her family. And married to a man who is running the company now.
"The irony is that behind the curtain and the facade of perfection is something extremely imperfect and their relationship is not successful and that that part of her life is really in shambles.
"Then the leading role Brantley, he is struggling with what success means. I think everyone in the show is struggling with what does success mean. Is success family? Is success work? And can it be both?"
Asked how extensive were the updates from the movie, Wilfert says, "It's wildly renovated just because that was created 1987 with themes that are just inappropriate in this world in regard to women. But the theme of it, is when you are struggling with what success means in your life and feeling proud of your roots and you can take those with you along the road to success. I think everyone can see themselves somewhere on the stage in regards to what success means.
"It's also a super funny musical. It's ridiculously entertaining. The tunes of the show are so good."
The central point is what is the real meaning of success and how to achieve a balance between corporate work and home life, she says.
Wilfert first got involved in musical theater in the high school she attended in a small town outside Cincinnati, Ohio. She grew up playing piano and taking dance lessons. While in high school she discovered she could sing as well. She went to Eastern Kentucky University for theater, and then did some theater jobs in Cincinnati where she got her actor's equity card and then headed for New York City.
Musicals continue to attract audiences, she says, "because there's so much going on in life that needs to be written about. it’s an expression, it's something audiences can suspend their disbelief for a moment and take a journey or a ride that might reflect something in their lives."
Performances are scheduled for October 25 through November 6 at 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays and Sundays,8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sunday at the Hobby Center, 800 Bagby. For more information, call 713-558-8801 or visit tuts.com. $40-$135.
