9 to 5 The Musical

This was my first time seeing Bridgnorth Musical Theatre Company as Regional Representative. 

9 to 5 is based on the 1980s movie of the same name, and features music and lyrics by Dolly Parton. It centres on the downtrodden working lives of three women, Violet, Judy and Doralee. 

They all work at Consolidated industries, which is presided over by the sexist, lecherous and pompous, Franklin Hart.   

The production opened with the title song ‘9 to 5’, probably the only song that I actually knew in the show; but what an opening! It was performed with gusto and set the pace and tone for the entire show.

It has to be said that Gina and Helen did an amazing job of casting the show. The three leading ladies seemed to bounce off each other completely naturally which gave the performance a sense of professionalism that is not often achieved in amateur theatre. 

Emma Parker played Violet Newstead – the Head Secretary continually overlooked for promotions in favour of her less capable male counterparts. Downtrodden in her role at work, trying to bring up an angsty teenage son alone, holding onto the past and being scared to rock the boat, even at the cost of her own happiness; It was a complex and interesting character to play and Emma absolutely nailed it! If her acting wasn’t fantastic enough on its own, her vocals were just beautiful, every number sung with real conviction.

Saskia Funchs had the unenviable task of playing Doralee Rhodes, the character Dolly herself played in the film and she played it flawlessly! There were many moments in the show where, vocally, it was as if Dolly herself were on the stage. Saskia seemed to give everything to the role and was a real joy to watch throughout. I look forward to seeing her in future roles.

Ellie Farrington played the adorably shy and sweet Judy Bernly. The character of Judy had quite an interesting development throughout the show as she underwent major life changes resulting in complete personality and behavioural changes, something that is not always easy to portray but Ellie did it fantastically! Her characters journey was so much fun to watch and her singing was effortless and beautiful.

I’d like to give a mention to Adam Wheeler, Michael Payne and Barbara Devey for all their excellent comedic timing and fantastic acting. Congratulations to Adam for doing such a great job at being the ‘bad guy’ that the whole audience loathed him as much as the characters on stage! There were even some boos and hisses going on around me which showed that they were invested in the performance.

The sound and staging of the show was brilliant, everything was easily visible, the music and vocals were clear and easily understood and the set was simple but effective. Congratulations to the crew for the smooth transitions between scenes etc.

The only real issue I had was accents, in that, everyone seemed to keep losing theirs, or changing where they seemed to come from. Doralee’s seemed to be the only consistent accent throughout the show, so well done to Saskia for that especially as her accent was the harshest and most obvious in the show.

I can’t wait to see what you bring to the stage with Half a Sixpence next year! 

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