How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying

How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying is a musical with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by Abe Burrows, Jack Weinstock, and Willie Gilbert, based on Shepherd Mead's 1952 book of the same name.In 1952, Shepherd Mead's satirical book, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, became a national bestseller.

In 1955 playwrights Willie Gilbert and Jack Weinstock created a dramatic interpretation ithat went unproduced for five years. Agent Abe Newborn brought the work to the attention of producers Cy Feuer and Ernest Martin, with the intention of retooling it as a musical. Feuer and Martin had had great success with the 1950 adaptation of Guys and Dolls . The tow brought in the creative team from Guys and Dolls to work on How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying .Abe Burrows and Frank Loesser set to work on the new adaptation, with rehearsals beginning in August 1961. Burrows collaborated on the book with Jack Weinstock and Willie Gilbert, also serving as director. The new adaptation was even more satirical than the original and added romance to the story

The October 1961 the musical opened at the 46th Street Theatre on Broadway and ran for 1,417 performances. The show won seven Tony Awards, the New York Drama Critics Circle award, and the 1962 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

In 1967, a film based on the musical was released by United Artists, staring many of the original cast  In 1995 a revival was mounted at the same theater as the original production now called the Richard Rodgers Theatre and ran for 548 performances. The revival starred Matthew Broderick and Megan Mullally. On March 27, 2011 a 50th anniversary revival directed and choreographed by Rob Ashford and starring Daniel Radcliffe and John Larroquette opened at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre.