9 to 5

This proved to be a vibrant and refreshing presentation of three put upon office workers who turned the tables on their sexist boss and proved their worth in taking their firm forward, improving morale and increasing productivity. Giving the audience lots of laughs as well as some thought provoking moments were the three well cast leading ladies, each fine singers and actors, severally and together, harmonising beautifully in their numbers like I Just Might and Shine like The Sun. Lisa Goldie caught the audience’s sympathy in portraying the efficient and overlooked secretary - displaying necessary deference, real empathy with her staff and efficiency in her work. Leading in Around Here and One of the Boys she showed her versatility and then later her memorable panic and strength in the hospital scene. Following on, Kirsty Meikle developed a beautifully brash and practical Doralee - quite aware of her boss’ questionable tactics, bewildered by being the office outcast and rightly vengeful when she discovers what he has been claiming about her. Her solo Backwoods Barbie and her part in Change It showed her talents too. Then Amy Campbell showed her strengths in her interpretation of the discarded, newly divorced wife Judy who learnt who she can really be. Taking the journey from the frightened newbie to the dominant independent was a real turning point in the show. She absolutely nailed it in her delivery of Get Out and Stay Out. Another highlight with all three was the drug induced imaginations of revenge and each were all well assisted by some clever and colourful contributions by the chorus and dancers. Katie Gardiner developed the different character of Ros, a bullying, nitpicking PA obsessed by her boss. She had great success with her rendering of Heart to Heart. So, you would think think the men wouldn’t stand a chance but Paul Allison epitomised the sleazy, conceited boss Franklin Hart Jr who made us all uncomfortable with his obvious sexist behaviour while Graeme Scott as Joe, the honest accountant in love with Violet, delivered a wonderful and heartfelt duet Let Love Grow with Violet. Minor principals characterised their roles well, with the likes of Joyce Gallacher as the tipsy Margaret and David Pepperell-Young creating two entirely different folk in Dick and Tinsworthy. The whole cast were energetic in movement and song delivering the big chorus numbers 9 to 5 and Change It with real commitment. The backdrop to scenes with the video wall were impressive but there was still some heavy duty prop shifting to be done especially in the restricted wing space. The orchestra did well being positioned so far from the stage, which can cause sound /balance problems. The production had some interesting angles with office and home situations and with the Snow White-like Violet and all the animals in the revenge dream sequences. I loved the bundling of Hart into the car boot. Overall this was a show to savour and enjoy, gave the audience a wonderfully entertaining evening and all going out on a high.

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