9 to 5 The Musical

I was kindly invited to attend Curtain Calls production of ‘9 to 5 The Musical’ at the Walker Theatre in Shrewsbury. 9 to 5 The Musical is based on the 1980’s film, starting Dolly Parton, and set in 1979. The story follows its three leading ladies (Doralee Rhodes, Violet Newstead and Judy Bernly) and their quest to find evidence of their boss’s criminal activity and to get revenge on him for being a sexist, egotistical, hypocritical bigot.

The Walker Theatre has a reasonable sized stage with limited wing space and for such a big show the cast manoeuvred the trucks and desks with great precision and ease.  The many props worked well, however there were some props that were too modern for the era of the 1970s.

Technically the sound was excellent and I was able to hear both principals and chorus with great clarity.  Lighting overall was good but there were a number of lengthy blackouts during scene changes, which for such a modern show and well-choreographed scene changes seemed out of place. I also felt lighting could have been enhanced when switching from reality into the dream sequences in order to give greater contrast.

It is difficult with costumes to strike the right balance to create the feeling of the 1970s and on the whole they were generally good but again some styles were not of the period and too modern.

The main cast for this production made up of Daisy Wyatt (Judy), Holly Bills (Doralee) and Natalie Watts (Violet), all of whom were excellently cast, gave performances worthy of any West End audience. They worked well together on stage and had great rapport, which assisted in bringing the story to life, critical in making this particular musical work.  All three ladies sang beautifully and there were some lovely harmonies across the musical numbers, along with just the right level of comedy.   

Daisy Wyatt (as Judy) displayed a lovely meek housewife with her first foray into the working world and it was lovely to see her character develop into a force to be reckoned with although I am not convinced that her character would have tattoos on display. 

Holly Bills (as Doralee) was a lovely warm, country girl with just the right amount of accent and proved that as a character she was much more than just blonde hair, a pretty face and a voluptuous figure. It was great to see her character develop into a capable confident woman with savvy ideas who had been constantly undervalued just because of the way she presented herself.

Natalie Watts (as Violet) gave us the perfect smart, efficient widowed mother of a teenage son who was constantly being passed up for promotion by the boys’-club world of climbing the corporate ladder. I loved her witty and sharp delivery of lines and was completely amazed by the fastest quick change I think I have ever seen.

Joe Fisher played the role of Franklin Hart Junior with great fake charm ideal for this type of role; he had great energy on stage and was suitably sexist which made for an uncomfortable watch in this age of gender equality, especially when he sang ‘Here For You’.

One of the best parts in this show is the part of Roz Keith played by Louise Browning who had great comedic timing and someone who really worked the crowd. I particularly loved her number ‘5 to 9’.

Overall I had a really enjoyable evening but would have liked to see a little more attention to the smaller details.

The audience however summed up this production by giving yet another standing ovation.

A well done to everyone involved at Curtain Call.

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