9 to 5 The Musical

Salt & Pepper Productions were back at the Grange Theatre with their production of ‘9 to 5 The Musical’, which was directed by Helen Mayne. The set was static showing the inside of the office. In shades of blue, it very much represented the male dominated working world. Once the women had taken over, there were flowers adorned to the wall and coloured paper being used for the office work. Other furniture to denote different locations was brought on by the cast primarily. The transitions between scenes were very good. As one scene ended, the other scene was set up ready on another part of the stage, so they just flowed into each other. The lift doors of the office opened to reveal Franklin held captive in his bed – a great use of space. It would have been great if the bed could have been brought forward to ensure that the action taking place could be seen. There was a walkway behind the set, which was utilised well throughout by the cast. The costumes were very good throughout, with some good attention to detail. The overall direction and stage blocking was secure.

The musical director for this production was Michael Griffiths. The orchestra sounded great under Michael’s direction. The vocals from the cast were also top notch, with some lovely harmonies, particularly from the three leading ladies.

Jo Milborne-Chatt was the choreographer for this production. From the stylised movements in the office to the sequences in the dreams, choreography was varied and executed well by the entire cast.

The lighting and sound were good throughout. The sound balance between cast and band was very good – everything could be heard. The lighting design was good. There were a few moments where cast were in the dark, but this was probably due to the cast not hitting their marks, rather than the lighting.

Lucy Page played Violet Newstead. This was a great performance from Lucy. She was naturalistic and totally believable. She worked well with Louise and Shannon, creating a great relationship with them. Lucy’s vocals were great throughout, with ‘One of the Boys’ being a great opener to Act 2.

Louise Colohan played the new girl, Judy Bernly. This was a sincere performance from Louise, who displayed a wide range of emotions. She played the comedy very well, but played the pathos equally as well. Her song delivery was great throughout, but the standout number was definitely ‘Get Out and Stay Out’. This was beautifully sung and acted.

Playing the part made famous by Dolly Parton, Shannon Webb took on Doralee Rhodes. Again, this was a great performance. Shannon had a great accent that she sustained throughout. It could have been easy to slip into a caricature, but Shannon never did. Her vocals throughout were very good and ‘Backwoods Barbie’ was performed very well. The staging for this number was very good as well.

Suzie Lowe almost stole the show on a number of occasions as Roz Keith. The commitment to character was faultless, and what a fantastic comedy performance. ‘Heart to Hart’ was an absolute riot from start to finish, with Suzie hitting every note and delivering on the comedy.

Michael Shneck was full of sleaze as Franklin Hart Jnr. This was a good characterisation from Michael – whenever he was on stage, your skin began to crawl! The vocals from Michael were good and he delivered his numbers well.

Steve Hart provided good support as Joe. Although, perhaps, not the strongest of singers, you cannot fault Steve’s commitment to the part. He played the attraction to Violet very well, creating a good partnership with Lucy.

There were some lovely cameo roles throughout. From Dawn Lloyd’s reformed alcoholic, Margaret, to Michael Corteen’s Tinsworthy, the cameo roles were well performed by all.

The ensemble was strong throughout, with the ensemble numbers being a particular highlight. The scene changes that the ensemble carried out were slick, the choreography was executed well, and the commitment from everyone was exemplary.

Overall, this was a great production. A fantastic trio of leading ladies, great direction and well implemented technical aspects.

Thank you to Salt and Pepper Productions for their warm welcome and kind hospitality. All the best for next year.

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