9 to 5 The Musical

9 to 5 The Musical, based on the 1980 movie of the same name features the fabulous music from Dolly Parton and focuses on the stories of three women, working under a boss that does not appreciate them. The roles of the three leading ladies were outstandingly performed by; Jenny MacKay as Violet, Jane Sinclair as Doralee and Olivia Findlay as Judy. All three portrayed strong individual characters bringing the audience into their stories with warmth and comedy. Jenny perfectly balanced Violet’s outward confidence with inner self-doubt with lovely character work and amazing comedy. Every line and fascial expression delivered beautifully to boost her amazing comic timing. Jane’s Doralee also balanced a vulnerable and feisty character, and it was lovely to see this character given more depth with her feelings and relationships. Olivia’s Judy captured the quiet, old fashioned newbie with comedy and let her character blossom into a confident independent woman in the end.  Her voice was flawless and controlled perfectly to convey the emotions the character experiences. Their individual songs: “One of the Boys” for Jenny, “Backwoods Barbie” for Jane and “Get Out and Stay Out” for Olivia were all equally brilliant and were delivered with great characterisation. I also loved the production teams vision and delivery of the linking songs “Dance of Death, Cowgirl’s Revenge, Potion Notion and Joy to the Girls”, especially Jenny’s comedy delivery in Potion Notion. As a trio they all three worked brilliantly together and conveyed a very real friendship. Their boss, the sleazy Franklin Hart Jr, was played wonderfully by Brian Toward who gave a slimy character that the audience just loved to loath and combined great character acting with powerful vocals. A comedy highlight in the principal line-up was Gabby Rose’s performance of Franklin Hart’s devoted and passionate assistant Roz. Gabby’s characterisation was outstanding, with perfect comedy timing which gave her the audience in the palm of her hand and leaving them in stiches. Her number ‘Heart to Hart’ in particular was hysterical. The handsome love interest for Violet is Joe, who was played by Neil Pearson. Neil brought this shy character to life with a lovely singing voice and strong performance. There are a lot of minor characters in the story which gives the ensemble a lot to do. Highlights of these minor principal roles were Dwayne (David Clark), Dick (Colin Young), and Tinsworthy (Roger Topping), Missy (Amy Campbell) and Bob (Ian Mcaulay). All were great, complimented each other and helped the story move along well.  Special mention should be made to Nanette Campbell as ‘the office lush’ Margaret, who only needed to walk across the stage to earn a full auditorium filled with laughter. The full ensemble filled the stage with great energy, and the enjoyment on stage was clear to see. Congratulations to the Production Team of Jon, Aileen and Jennifer for this bright, vibrant and lively show, which was a joy to watch. A huge well done to the club for another successful production.

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.