9 to 5 the musical

St. Austell AOS have taken this tongue-in-cheek story and presented an imaginative, dynamic and entertaining evening that the audience loved - certainly on the night I saw it the standing ovation would testify to that. The overall impression of this show comes via the lifting of the script from page to stage by this director who has the imagination and skills to communicate her vision to the company. We hardly had time to catch our breath as the pace never faltered in its rush from scene to scene of this madcap fairytale. The opening number was a lively montage of individual moments, colourful, interesting and original, and attracted us in to learn more about the characters. This is a large company to manoeuvre around the stage but the space was well used with no collisions, and  no overuse of any one area. Using the cast to move the set and furniture is so much slicker than tab drops and blackouts and this cast was well rehearsed and responded promptly to the demands. The three leading ladies were ideally cast, each having a strong singing voice and confident stage presence. And I did enjoy the smaller role of Roz. The men, also, fitted their roles and it was lovely to see some new young men joining the company. The choreography was kept simple enough to be achievable by the large company yet delivered a lively picture for ensemble numbers, and much movement from the world of physical theatre, that wasn’t strictly dance, added to the energetic presentation throughout. I liked the little touches - a convincing face slap, the car being ‘driven’ off by a chauffeur after the abduction, the upright bed and the funnel in a bottle for Hart’s convenience!  And I loved the ‘peeling’ with the red umbrella. This was a hugely entertaining show, new to me, and I welcomed the invitation to visit you all, for which thank you. 

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