Hooligan Theatre Company to perform musical “˜How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying’
By Laurie Allred
April 4, 2012 11:57 p.m.
Alec Oval knew he wanted to pursue theater when he watched his friend perform in “Little Shop of Horrors” back in middle school. The experience changed his perception of theater, and he realized theater was more than just singing and dancing.
Tonight, Oval, a first-year math student, will take his acting, singing and dancing skills to Freud Playhouse for the very first time as the lead in Hooligan Theatre Company’s “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.” He will be performing as Finch, the main protagonist of the musical.
“How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying” is about window washer turned successful businessman Finch, who finds a book titled “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.” He follows the book’s advice and quickly rises up the ranks in his workplace. The musical was created in the 1960s, but there is currently a revival in New York starring Nick Jonas.
Oval, who has performed in musicals since high school, joined Hooligan Theatre Company because it was open to theater enthusiasts of all majors. He said he’s both nervous and excited about his upcoming performance.
“It’s really exciting, and it was a bit of a shock at the beginning, but Hooligan seems to be a group that is inclusive of everyone and gives people a lot of opportunity. It’s a lot of work,” Oval said.
Oval said his favorite number is the last one, “Brotherhood of Man,” because it’s upbeat. Oval said that although there are some similarities between him and his character Finch, they are very different.
“I wouldn’t say I’m as deceptive as my character, but he is very determined when he decides to do something,” Oval said.
Fourth-year psychology student Alisa de los Santos, who is the artistic director and also will play the role of Miss Jones, juggles two jobs ““ acting and producing.
“I think she’s very fun to play; I play her strict, but she has this fun, loving, crazy side. At the end of the show, there’s this number where every male in the cast performs, plus Miss Jones. She lets loose at the end.”
Juliana Scott, a third-year linguistics student and managing director of Hooligan Theatre Company, said the group has grown exponentially in size since her freshman year when she first joined. The company has a three-play season, including this quarter’s large-scale musical.
Scott said it’s great to be able to go back and do classic shows like “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying” with a modern, fresh take on them.
“The themes (of the musical) are still relevant ““ people still try to raise their way up in the company or even fall in love in the workplace. Most people think because it’s set in the ’60s, it’s not really relevant,” Scott said.
Scott said that, in addition to the theater company going out to local high schools to teach theater as a part of its educational outreach program, the group will also have a free matinee for 300 high school students on Friday afternoon.
Oval said he likes that the group is not only performing for UCLA students but is also letting local high school students have the opportunity to watch a classic musical.
“It’s just great that we have a chance to show these kids theater and possibly get them interested in doing theater because that’s how I got interested,” Oval said. “It looked like something I wanted to do, so I kept doing it, and now I’m in that position.”
