9 to 5 The Musical

Thank you very much for inviting me to your production of ‘9 to 5 The Musical’. The welcome I receive every time I attend one of your productions is just exceptional and your front of house team as always are a credit to the company.

May I first start by saying what an enjoyable evening my wife and I had. We thoroughly enjoyed our visit and I sincerely hope the rest of your run went well. You certainly deserved to reap the rewards of what was clearly a very focussed rehearsal period. This was the first time I had watched 9 to 5 and it certainly did not disappoint.

9 to 5 is a relatively new musical based on the film of the same name with music and lyrics by Dolly Parton. The story follows the journey of an unlikely trio: Violet, a strong office supervisor with high ambitions for progression in a male dominated world; Judy, a recent divorce struggling to make her own way in a world where she has so little experience;  and Doralee, a misunderstood woman who’s co-workers despise. Her over rumours spread by her boss which are entirely false. The three women end up bonding over their shared feelings towards Hart and end up changing the business world for the better showing the CEO of Consolidated Industries just how strong a woman in charge of the office can be.

The set

The set was provided by Andy Martin Productions and upon entering the auditorium the audience were greeted by a sleek, minimal set that had a real air of professionalism that would be at home in any professional setting. Built into the back wall of the set were two television screens that displayed the show logo and would go on to be used throughout the production including the interludes from Dolly Parton herself. LED lighting strips donned the wings from floor to ceiling and further added to the opening set. 

Scene changes throughout the production were incredibly slick with many of them being handled expertly by the cast themselves. The quick change of scene from bedroom to office was well choreographed and with the cast completing this change it added a sense of the hustle and bustle of a busy office environment. The set generally remained fairly simplistic throughout with a minimal amount of major set pieces needing to be moved into place. This enabled the action on stage to keep pushing forward at a good pace throughout.

Lighting

Lighting was very effective throughout the production and ensured a good wash of colour flooded the stage. I very much enjoyed the translucent panelling on the back wall which was then lit with various LED colours throughout which helped set a new time or location. This was a nice touch and further enhanced the set. The lighting did exactly as it should, added to the narrative but wasn’t so in your face with special effects that it distracted you from what was happening on stage.

Sound

I am always pleased to see a company that is still using a live band. I know with raising costs that more and more companies are now having to move toward the use of tracks but a live band really does add a huge amount to the show. The band were ably led by Musical Director Kristy and the band were sympathetic to the environment they were working in striking a good balance between giving it good energy but not overpowering the performers onstage. Most of the principals and named ensemble had head worn radio mics. These ensured that all dialogue was heard right at the back and also that the vocals during the songs were well projected over the band. 

The opening number ‘9 to 5’ was excellent and really set the tone for the whole production. The cast were confident and harmonies were well delivered. It was fantastic to see every single person looking straight out into the audience and engaging every single person in the audience.

Costume and Makeup

Costumes throughout the show were excellent and were absolutely spot on suiting every single character perfectly. I was very surprised to hear that the cast had self-sourced their costumes. The costumes complemented each other and were absolutely in keeping with the era and location for this show. The number of quick changes throughout was vast and each and every change was handled with such ease.

Additional comments

There was certainly no shortage of talent on display in this production and each and every member of the cast played an important part in the telling of this story. There are some individuals I would like to highlight however.

Doralee. Wow! Outstanding. What an absolute super talent. I along with many members of the audience was just blown away by the vocal talent on display by this performer. ‘Backwards Barbie’ was excellent. Doralee was not just a good singer but also a fabulously talented actress with a strong convincing Southern American accent to match.

Violet and Judy were equally talent and the three women combine were a superpower to be reckoned with. The relationships and bond that grew over the production was believable and really drew the audience in. ‘I just might’ sounded absolutely incredible. ‘Get out and stay out’ was full of passion and was really did portray the journey that Judy had been on throughout the show.

Roz is another actress well deserving of recognition. Heart to Hart was delivered superbly and provided such a huge amount of comedy. As an actress Roz did a fantastic job of playing the devoted office secretary to a sleazeball of a boss, Franklin Hart.

Speaking of which, Franklin Hart was yet another strong performer who did a good job to portray a narcissistic, sexist, misogynistic male in a world that was dominated by men. He had a good command of the space and was convincing in his conviction. As a vocalist he was very strong and projected superbly throughout ‘here for you’.

Congratulations on a fantastic opening night

Kind regards

   Ryan Procter

   District 3 Representative

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