9 to 5 the Musical

NADOS were back on stage with their production of ‘9 to 5 the Musical’, which was directed by Lisa Griffiths. It was clear how much fun NADOS had with the production, with the ‘Dolly Booth’ – an experience where patrons enjoyed a glass of bubbly and a photo opportunity with Dolly herself! This was a lovely touch. The set looked very good with three static, separate locations denoted. Hart’s office was stage right, the office staffroom was stage left, and the main playing space was used for different locations throughout. The design was great, invocative of the time period, with the blue colour palette suggesting the male dominated workplace. Props and furniture were brought on to help create different locations, such as the bed, desks and typewriters. The direction from Lisa was good throughout, creating an enjoyable performance. The pace was good throughout, with the cast doing a number of the scene changes. It was good to see that the ensemble had developed characters and were kept busy working in the office. The relationships and friendships were developed nicely as well, especially between the leading trio. Costumes and styling was good, and suited the time period. The costumes during the smoking scene contrasted against these, which worked well.

Barry Dilworth took the helm as musical director for this production. It was great watching Barry at work with the band, who all sounded great. Barry responded to the cast, and vice versa, when conducting, which was a huge positive to this production. The vocals from the cast were great, especially when the entire company where singing.

As well as being director for this production, Lisa Griffiths was the choreographer. The choreography was very good throughout, and performed well by the entire cast. There was a good mix of dance styles throughout, which were all performed with energy. Deni Griffiths and Harry Thompson both stood out in the choreography, especially in ‘One of the Boys’.

Technical elements were good. The lighting design was very good throughout with a good use of colours used. The sound balance between the cast and the band was good during the ensemble moments, where everyone was singing. The cast microphones could have been turned up during individual songs.

Vicky Dilworth took on the role of Violet Newstead. This was a confident performance from Vicky. The audience were on her side from the get go, and she put the frustrations across about being overlooked well. The hard exterior was softened in her scenes with Jon, creating a credible partnership.

Judy Bernly was played by Jenny Dowden. Jenny did well in this role, showing Judy’s journey from an anxious young lady to a confident woman. Overall, Jenny gave a pleasing vocal. There were a few moments where it could have been stronger, but this is nit-picking. Jenny created a good and believable bond with both Vicky and Grace.

It is great to see performers progressing from Nippers to NADOS, and here, Grace Fisher was centre stage as the iconic character, Doralee Rhodes. Grace showed the journey of the character well. ‘Backwards Barbie’ was a great performance, and the staging worked well for this with the female ensemble turning their backs to Doralee and the men leering towards her. The accent was distracting at times, but Grace should be commended for a very good performance.

In a complete U-turn from his dame earlier this year, Andrew Marsh took on the role of Franklin Hart Jr. Andrew’s performance made you squirm in your seat, which was exactly what was needed for the role. There were some moments of comedy in Andrew’s performance as well, which he delivered with aplomb. Andrew’s vocals were very good as well.

Leanne Barnes had the audience in stitches as Roz Keith. She really got into the role as Franklin’s right-hand woman, and was a good foil to the leading trio. ‘Heart to Heart’ was performed well by Leanne, full of comedy, which was well played.

Jon Kennedy gave a sincere performance as Joe, Violet’s love interest. There was believability to Jon’s performance, from his initial nervous interactions with Violet, to finally winning her round. ‘Let Love Grow’ was well performed by both Jon and Vicky.

The ensemble impressed throughout, each creating an individual character. From the office tea lady to the leering men, there was obvious thought gone into the ensemble characters. The male ensemble particularly impressed throughout, especially in ‘One of the Boys’. This was a great number, performed strongly by the male ensemble.

Overall, this was a good production. There were strong principal performances, supported by an excellent ensemble, the band was very good, and the overall staging was good.

Thank you to everyone at NADOS for their kind invite and hospitality. All the best for your next production.

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