1 | G r a d e S c h o o l c u t s
MR. ABELL enters.
FINCH, BIGGLEY, BIGGLEY, EXECUTIVES, TWIMBLE, BRATT, ROSEMARY,
SMITTY
MR. ABELL: A young window washer named J. Pierrepont Finch—
FINCH walks on and waves to the audience.
--discovers a book entitled How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying.
FINCH shows book to the audience.
He follows the directions in the book, and he gets hired at World Wide Wickets run by J.B. Biggley.
BIGGLEY hurries down the stage followed by MISS JONES and THE EXECUTIVES (except for BRATT). BIGGLEY stops and addresses the audience:
BIGGLEY: Back to work, everyone! Time is money!
MR. ABELL: He soon advances from the mailroom to become a junior executive.
TWIMBLE: ‘CAUSE I PLAY IT THE COMPANY WAY—EXECUTIVE POLICY IS BY ME OKAY.
FINCH: HOW CAN YOU GET ANYWHERE—
TWIMBLE: JUNIOR, HAVE NO FEAR. WHOEVER THE COMPANY FIRES, I WILL STILL BE HERE—
FINCH: YOU WILL STILL BE HERE—
TWIMBLE: YEAR AFTER YEAR AFTER FISCAL—
BOTH: NEVER TAKE A RISK-AL YEAR!
BRATT: Boys and girls, I have one more announcement. Mr. Gatch is taking young Finch into his department as a junior executive.
TWIMBLE and BRATT exit.
MR. ABELL: A young secretary named Rosemary—
ROSEMARY waves.
--decides she wants to marry Finch, and enlists the help of her best friend Smitty--
SMITTY: (appearing) That’s me!
MR. ABELL: --to help her catch Finch’s attention.

2 | G r a d e S c h o o l c u t s
ROSEMARY and SMITTY exit.
Soon Finch and Rosemary begin to date.
Finch learns that most of the people in the company are a likeable and fun-loving bunch.
COFFEE BREAK from Matt Vetter’s first line.
Mr. ABELL, FINCH, and BUD enter.
MR. ABELL: But Finch has a rival in the company—Bud Frump!
BUD FRUMP: Mr. Biggley’s nephew!
MR. ABELL: Bud is determined to advance in the company faster than Finch.
Meanwhile, Mr. Biggley gets the company to hire his beautiful girlfriend, Hedy.
HEDY enters from elevator. Different EXECUTIVES start in, notice her, and stop in their tracks as a comic
sound plays. BUD approaches her.
GATCH: Can I help you, honey?
HEDY: Scram.
GATCH: You don’t understand. I’m Milton Gatch, Head of Plans and Systems and Interdepartmental
Evaluation.
HEDY: I’m waiting for Mr. Bratt of personnel. (BRATT and SMITTY enter.)
BRATT: Miss LaRue?
HEDY: Yeah? I mean, yes.
BRATT: I’m Bert Bratt of Personnel. Sorry to have kept you waiting.
HEDY: Not at all, sir. It is I whom am late.
BRATT: Oh, not really.
HEDY: Oh, yes. I was very naughty this morning. I’m still not accustomed to early arisal.
BRATT: Miss Larue, if you’ll just go with Miss Smith, she can get your particulars.
HEDY: (Exiting with SMITTY.) Thirty-nine, twenty-two, thirty eight.
JENKINS/CARNES: Boy, isn’t she something?
DAVIS/WILLINGER: She sure is.
JOHNSON/HOMMRICH: Say, Bratt—I need a new secretary.
MATTHEWS/SCHROEDER: So do I.

3 | G r a d e S c h o o l c u t s
BRATT: Gentlemen, Miss LaRue will be assigned according to normal procedure as soon as her qualifications have been determined.
PETERSON/JOHNS: I’d sure like to determine them.
TACKABERRY/OTTEN: So would I!
MEN: Me, too, etc.
A SECRETARY IS NOT A TOY
MR. ABELL & FINCH walk on down aisle 2 to the front of the stage. STAGE CREW begins setting up the Outer Office Scene (with no trash).
MR. ABELL: Finch makes friends with Mr. Biggley’s secretary, Miss Jones.
Miss Jones stalks down aisle 3, turns to the audience, and in her most haughty manner snaps—
MISS JONES: What are you staring at?
MR. ABELL: From her Finch learns that the boss, Mr. Biggley is a major fan of his college, Old Ivy, and its football team—the Ground hogs. Finch also learns that Mr. Biggley secretly knits. So Finch pretends to have worked all night at the office in hopes of attracting Mr. Biggley’s notice.
No intermission. We will go from the end of the Act I finale to the book narration leading into Act 2, Scene 2 (cutting CINDERELLA DARLING). a.
Frump and Rosemary will exit the nearest side of stage. Rosemary will put a coat over her Paris Original dress.
b.
Set crew will do the usual set change into II, 2.
Cut songs:
1.
2.
3.
4.
How to Succeed
Happy to Keep His Dinner Warm
Company Way and Company Way Reprise
Been a Long Day and Been a Long Day Reprise