9. How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying
This particular musical has a long, storied history on and off Broadway. It originally premiered on Broadway in 1961, and is based on Shepherd Meads book of the same name (0riginally published in 1952). Along with seven Tony Awards, the production also won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, one of only 8 Broadway musicals ever to do so. A film version was released in 1967, and many of the original cast members reprised their roles from the stage show. In 1995, a revival was mounted starring Matthew Broderick and Megan Mullally. Currently, the show is perhaps best known in its 50th Anniversary Revival iteration, which took to the stage in 2011 and starred Daniel Radcliffe in the lead role of J. Pierrepont Finch, a man who uses the titular book to rise up the ranks of the company he works for. The revival was nominated for 8 Tony Awards, and John Laroquette won Best Performance By A Featured Actor In A Musical. The possibilities for this show on the big screen were energized largely by the revival production. While the fact that it has been around for 50 years is certainly a testament to its staying power, the importance of the revival in raising mainstream awareness of the show cannot be understated. There are currently no plans to bring the musical comedy to Hollywood once again, but with the successful transition of Broadway properties like War Horse, and the success of How To Succeed in all its various iterations, the stage is set for this musical to hit it big onscreen once again.