‘The Secret of my Success’ transfers to stage in world premiere musical at Paramount

It was 1982 when actor Michael J. Fox bound onto our TV screens and into our hearts, playing Alex P. Keaton on the hit sitcom “Family Ties.” The role propelled him to movie roles including a time traveler, a teen werewolf and then an ambitious Midwesterner taking New York City by storm in “The Secret of my Success.”

And while much has changed in the world since that time, the underlying and heartfelt message of the 1987 movie remains as important as ever.

“This story feels so right for the world right now,” explains famed director Gordon Greenberg of Paramount Theatre’s world premiere stage musical “The Secret of my Success.” “The idea of success, as black and white as it seemed when you were young, becomes nuanced and gray and richer and more human as you get older, and that became the idea of the show. Everyone of our characters are grappling with the same question and that is, what really is success?”

Actor Billy Harrigan Tighe makes his Paramount debut in the musical playing the dual roles of Brantley Foster and his alter ego Carlton Whitfield. Foster is a Midwesterner who makes the journey to the Big Apple to make his corporate dreams come true. But he soon finds out that it won’t be as easy as he once thought, so he takes on the identity of rising executive Carlton Whitfield. And yes, chaos ensues.

And within every act, Greenberg says the audience will see themselves.

“There is a vein of truth that runs through the show that audiences will definitely relate to,” says Greenberg, who co-wrote the book alongside Steve Rosen. “The idea of a very earnest and kind and caring and ambitious Midwestern boy moving to a cut-throat city full of a kaleidoscope of characters was a great opportunity for us theatrically and comedically and musically.”

Indeed, the addictive music and lyrics for the adaptation of “The Secret of my Success” come courtesy of fellow Northwestern University alums Michael Mahler and Alan Schmuckler, who both agree that this a show is custom-made for a Chicago audience.

“This show can be laugh out loud funny, but also very emotional,” explains Schmuckler. “Anyone who has that Midwestern work ethic and just about any amount of ambition will see themselves on that stage.”

Tricia Despres is a local freelance writer.