By Kristen Nevarez Schweizer
December 3, 2025
La Jolla Playhouse has once again birthed a Broadway-ready musical into our backyard. Working Girl: The Musical uses its source material with confidence and affection, landing a fresh, romantic comedy for fourth-wave feminists that feels both familiar and new. Instead of recreating the 1988 film, it treats the original story like a springboard without ever getting lost in it.
The story centers on Tess McGill (Joanna “JoJo” Levesque), an ambitious Staten Island secretary trapped beneath the glass ceiling of the 1980s. When her polished yet predatory boss, Katherine Parker (Lesley Rodriguez Kritzer), ends up temporarily out of commission, Tess seizes the opportunity to reinvent her career trajectory. In a corporate Cinderella twist, she crosses paths with investment broker Jack Trainer (Anoop Desai), whose charm and integrity complicate her own professional ambitions.
The musical follows the familiar arc of the movie—starring Melanie Griffith, Harrison Ford, and Sigourney Weaver—but takes certain liberties, most notably, updating the cast’s ethnicity and relationships. The friendship with Tess’s best friend, Cyn (Ashley Blanchet, played in the movie by Joan Cusack), becomes the show’s true love story. Modern feminists celebrate each other, and so does this show’s secretarial pool. Generous ensemble banter, lovely lady numbers (standout: “Notice the Woman”), and a twist at the end ensure that every woman wins.
Christopher Ashley, directing his final Playhouse production before departing for Roundabout Theatre Company, stages this material with the confidence of an artist concluding an era. His signature integration of design and storytelling, seen most recently in The Heart, reaches a new level of sophistication here. He partners again with Hana S. Kim, whose projection design offers telescoping Manhattan skylines, fluorescent office interiors, and retro 1980s music-video iconography that shift with seamless theatrical purpose. The projections are not embellishments but a dynamic engine that shapes transitions and establishes tone with remarkable efficiency.
Cyndi Lauper’s original score evokes the decade’s bright synths and brassy belting, alongside her lyrical wit (I have a Filofax, a jambalaya of facts!) that complements Theresa Rebeck’s quick-moving book. The songs recall the spirit of Lauper’s Kinky Boots without ever repeating it, giving the production a sonic palette that is both nostalgic and easy listening in its confidence.
JoJo Levesque as Tess McGill is a revelation. She captures the sexy, soft-edged beauty that defined Melanie Griffith’s performance, adds her popstar magnetism, and layers in genuine emotional intelligence. She is a triple-threat superstar, but also an everygirl that the audience can root for (despite all her lying). Leveque is an inspired casting choice and one of the production’s core strengths. Her soaring vocals in “When the Penny Drops” make the song memorable.
A noteworthy casting surprise comes with Anoop Desai (aka TOTEM)’s arrival as Jack Trainer. As someone who—twenty years ago—followed Desai’s college a cappella group, I had a brief, involuntary fangirl moment. His soulful tone adds depth to the musical’s soundscape and provides a welcome counterweight to Mick (Joey Taranto)’s hair rock-infused numbers for a whole 1980s radio experience.
What ultimately distinguishes Working Girl is its clarity of purpose and mastery of its medium. The slow-burning romance and dry snark of the film wouldn’t have translated to the back row of a large theater. By transforming Harrison’s smoldering Trainer to Desai’s sweet Trainer, we get a leading man who can dance in a funky “Dream in Royalty” and hit the high notes of “Get You Hot.” By lending likable humor to Kritzer’s Parker, we enjoy the villainess’ solos. This production honors the movie’s iconic beats while refusing to be constrained by them. This Tess doesn’t just “have a head for business and a bod for sin;” she has agency, charisma, and a glass ceiling to shatter (and turn into a disco ball).
Working Girl: The Musical
Oct 28 – Dec 14
La Jolla Playhouse
Mandell Weiss Theatre
Music and Lyrics by Cyndi Lauper
Book by Theresa Rebeck
Based on the Twentieth Century Fox Motion Picture written by Kevin Wade
Choreographed by Sarah O’Gleby
Directed by Christopher Ashley
See ya later, Christopher Ashley — it’s been real. We look forward to seeing what Jessica Stone brings to the table in 2026.
