9 to 5 the Musical

With music and lyrics by Dolly Parton you anticipate a show full of wonderful music, humour and pathos and Beryl Duncan’s production – her first for Elgin MT - did not disappoint in any of these. The three ladies in the leading roles of Violet (Julie Gray), Judy (Janice Anderson) and Doralee (Natalie Munro) worked well together - all three having strong singing voices and good stage presence. Julie’s portrayal of Violet (the Senior Secretary always overlooked for promotion to a managerial post) was excellent – she brought out the characters strong attributes but was also able to show her softer side as in the relationship with Joe (the young accountant played by Callum McKenzie) and I particularly liked their duet “Let Love Grow”. Janice’s portrayal of Judy really brought out the transformation from timid, recently divorced housewife to strong independent woman beautifully – her rendition of “Get Out and Stay Out” was outstanding. Natalie’s portrayal of the brassy, not-so-dumb blond secretary was spot on. I loved her scene with the misogynistic boss where she promised to “change him from a rooster to a hen with just one shot” and also her rendition of “Backwoods Barbie”. Ian Duncan, as said boss Franklin Hart, gave such a good strong performance that you almost wanted to cheer every time the ladies got the better of him! Susan Gillespie as Roz Keith gave an excellent performance as Hart’s love-lorn PA and her rendition of “Heart to Hart” was hilarious! Strong support was given by Chris Hewett (Dwayne), Lauren Crannis (Joss), Willie Duncan (Dick), Ken Smith (Tinsworthy) and Helen McKellar (office lush Margaret). The ensemble singing and movement were both good. The 11 piece orchestra, under the careful baton of Bob Garrity, handled the music well - supporting but never overpowering the vocalists. The use of a digital wall, designed by Callum McLeod, made sure the transformation between scenes was quick and seamless. Costuming was appropriate to the period and characters. Congratulations to everyone for a most enjoyable evening.

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