Song and dance, love triangles, and plenty of comedic relief filled the Saint Cecilia Theater this weekend as Cotter High School premiered “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying”. The musical followed the rise of J. Pierrepont Finch (Ryan Ortega), a window-washer turned business executive, whose quick wit and outrageous situations made for two hours of laughter and suspense.

“The group came together well, even though we were pretty stressed over the last few days” said junior Ryan Ortega, “Mr. Roeckers deserves so much credit. It was awesome.”

Ortega, along with female lead Rosemary Pilkington (junior Jane Koll), brought powerful vocals and great acting to the center stage, but made sure to leave room under the spotlight for surprise standouts. The ever-scheming and laughable Bud Frump (senior JJ Corn) brought wide smiles and audible laughter during his pompous parades and panicked calls to his mother. Also notable was the sheer number of first-year participants, including a highly confused company policeman (senior Jake Renk) and an enthusiastic TV announcer (senior Corey Piper).

The performance has already received much-deserved praise from students at Cotter. “The show was really engaging, I felt very involved” said senior Logan Spitzer, who attended the Saturday showing. “Ryan was outstanding, and the entire cast made it a really good time. I especially liked the ‘Paris original’ dress scene.”

Every scene was concise and powerful. The actors set a comfortable pace to story development, never leaving the audience questioning “what just happened?” or shouting “get on with it already!”.  Each actor knew when to wear a stone face and when to let a sly grin shine through, letting the audience know that the actors felt the comedic rhythm around them.

Vocals were relaxed and well-delivered, setting a comfortable tone that left room for acting and choreography on stage. Ortega’s emotional line delivery seamlessly transitioned into melodic vocals, making for a smooth progression of events. Jane Koll met Ortega step for step in their frequent duets, creating a powerful sound of her own, as well as together.

Cotter High School held an engaging and entertaining premier of “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying” over the November 14th weekend. The reveal of a totally new dry comedy served as a refreshing reminder of what a high school musical is all about: dedication, showmanship, and grace under pressure. Congratulations to all in the show, for you all knew “how to succeed”.

“Cast of “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying”

J. Pierrepont Finch – Ryan Ortega

Gatch – Aidan Beckman

Jenkins – Connor Hagarty

Johnson – Jon Weltzien

Matthews – Min Jae Kim

Peterson – Ben Matzke

Tackaberry – Samuel Graff

J.B. Biggley – Mac Whaley

Rosemary – Jane Koll

Bratt – David French

Smitty – Gina (Ngoc Minh) Pham

Bud Frump – JJ Corn

Miss Krumholtz – Celia Welch

Miss Jones – Mary Schwend

Mr. Twimble – Alex Walechka

Hedy LaRue – Alex Schell

Davis – Noah French

Ovington – Nathan Graff

Toynbee – Jakub Klas

TV Announcer – Corey Piper

Womper – Tim DeMarais

Company Policeman – Jake Renk

Chorus includes:

Mary Arnold, Aidan Beckman, Allison Beyerstedt, Gabby Bowlin, Elizabeth Duellman, Anna Engel, Olivia Flanagan, David French, Noah French, Ellena Girma, Hannah Going, Nathan Graff, Samuel Graff, Garet Grant, Angela Gu,Connor Hagarty, Jakub Klas, Ben Matzke, Linnea McColl, Fatima Mota, Penny Peng, Corey Piper, Renae Ramsden, Jake Renk, Abi Trocinski, Alex Walechka, Alinna Wang, Kirsten Weifenbach,Jon Weltzien, Holly Yi, MinJae Kim.

CREW

Maura Bannon, Gloria Flanagan, Grace Flanagan, Ella Reilly, Sean Livingstone, Paige Stanislawski, Alexa Hesch, Emily Tullis, Hailey Olson, Mikaela Livingstone, Lucy Lee, Harry Yao, Ellie Hutmacher

PIT

Chloe Trainor, Beth Parlin, Cade Hansen, Claire Nichols