Savoy Theatre – 12th March 2019
Reviewed by Jessica Brady
3.5***
Who can utter the words 9 to 5 without thinking of the iconic Dolly Parton? Not I, so getting the opportunity to see the musical that has captured the hearts of Dolly fans worldwide was something not to be missed. Based on the 1980 film starring Dolly Parton, Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin, this musical satire is true to the films characters and story with the added flare of an upbeat score. The story focuses on three women living in a male dominated world and the complications that come from working for a chauvinistic male boss.
We follow Violet Newstead (Caroline Sheen), an intelligent, hard working, single mom who has invested time and energy into the company she works for in the hopes of a well deserved promotion, Doralee Rhodes (Natalie McQueen) is an outgoing, beautiful and strong woman but is the talk of the office when it is assumed she is sleeping with the boss and finally the young and naive Judy Bernly (Amber Davies) who’s attempt to make it on her own without her cheating husband ‘Dick’ isn’t without its tears and challenges.
When the three ladies have reached the limit with their scumbag boss and his sexist behaviour , Franklin Hart Jnr (Brian Conley), they decide to take action by the way of kidnapping him from the office and gun point and hiding him in his own home and suspending him off the chandelier in full kinky bondage attire found from his bedroom.
The disappearance of Hart leaves his devoted and besotted assistant, Roz Keith (Bonnie Langford), at a loss and the three women get the opportunity to run the company how they see fit with Violet taking on the role of CEO.
The themes in the show are a little dated now and that is very evident with the book and the feeble attempts at modernising it with Trump references and Conley doing the ‘Floss’ at one point. I think there are much stronger representatives of female empowerment in theatre now and the honest truth is the three women as characters are very black and white. Having said that, its stories like 9 to 5 that have paved the way for the developments in women’s rights and equality, it could be argued in a way watching the show could be considered a celebration of the fact that we have come a long way since the 80’s but still have a way to go.
The show has some nice moments throughout but overall is just going through the motions (or so it looked like). Bonnie Langford as Roz is a perfect casting choice as she gives us showbiz, glamour and comedy all in one song- Hart to Hart. Langford is hilarious and I was left wanting more when her bits were over! The main reason to go and see 9 to 5 is for Natalie McQueen as Doralee. McQueen had the task of taking on the role originated by Dolly Parton herself and she does it with complete ease and gives you everything you expect and more. Her comic timing is perfect and her vocals never fail to amaze me, a true show stealer and Dolly should be proud to have her as part of her legacy.
Aside from Bonnie Langford and Natalie McQueen stealing the show with every seen they were in, the rest of the cast don’t quite match up to them. Brian Conley is a good sport by being suspended for the majority of the show on wires in very little clothing and a ball gag and he has fantastic comic timing but I had a hard time understanding what he was saying at points as his diction was not clear enough with the accent! Amber Davies does a decent job with Judy but her characters growth in the story is not made explicit through her performance but she does give us a great rendition of Get out and Stay Out which is the highlight for her. Caroline Sheen is great as Violet and her big standout number One of the Boys is really impressive and full of sass!
The ensemble is pretty lacklustre and heavily reliant on a click track to support their vocals. The effort with the choreography is good but it isn’t massively complicated and they seem to be more like stage hands with the amount of set moving that goes on involving them.
Overall there are some good numbers in the score and a few giggles throughout but I don’t know if the Savoy is the right venue for this production as it doesn’t quite match up the previous calibre of the shows before it, however it will be a hit amongst the Dolly Parton fans and with some digital cameos from the Queen of Country Music herself, it’s a bit of fun and a chance for you to sing along with those famous lyrics