9 to 5
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Cititour.com Review
Let's face it. The title song from 9 to 5 was a megahit for Dolly Parton because it's catchy and clever and taps into the driving force of everyone who’s ever had to start their day with “a cup of ambition.” The musical “9 to 5”, based upon the film of the same name with a book by Patricia Resnick, serves the same purpose. And now, when layoffs are commonplace, the timing for this broad, splashy, funny, revenge-oriented musical comedy couldn’t be more perfect.
It takes place in 1979 when female office workers were overlooked for promotions based upon gender and making coffee for the boss was de rigueur. Have things really changed? Allison Janney, Megan Hilty and Stephanie J. Block take over from their film counterparts, Lily Tomlin, Dolly, and Jane Fonda. Singing and dancing to a whole new score from Parton, they give the roles a fresh zing. Janney’s comic timing is comedy in motion. Block’s acrobatic vocals soar. Hilty’s playing her “Dolly” to the hilt, (no pun intended) supplying just enough vulnerability to make her likeable, and just enough gumption to give her credence. As the villain, Marc Kudisch is delectably rakish and bearlike even when the women have him trapped and hanging upside down.
Even though Resnick has written many successful films, and Parton is the Queen of Country music, this is the first Broadway musical for the duo. The book, is full of movement and one-liners, but could use a bit more in the way of substance. Parton’s score has a classic pop-country sound, but there are false rhymes and too much repetition in these songs. The fact that the music is based more on rhythm than on melodies reveals the composer’s unfamiliarity with the genre. One wishes that director Joe Montello could have worked a little longer with Ms. Parton to flesh out the material.
Having said that, the end result doesn’t suffer much. Andy Blankenbuehler’s choreography is really fun and inventive and Montello certainly keeps the pace up. “9 to 5” zips along with loads of laughs and lets our inner fantasies take flight. If only the real world was a like a musical.
By Lesley Alexander
Visit the Site
http://www.9to5themusical.com
Cast
Allison Janney, Stephanie J. Block, Megan Hilty, Marc Kudisch, Andy Karl, Kathy Fitzgerald, Ioana Alfonso, Timothy Anderson, Jennifer Balagna, Justin Bohon, Paul Castree, Daniel Cooney, Jeremy Davis, Gaelen Gilliland, Autumn Guzzardi, Ann Harada, Lisa Howard, Van Hughes, Kevin Kern, Brendan King, Michael X. Martin, Michael Mindlin, Karen Murphy, Mark Myars, Jessica Lea Patty,
Charlie Pollock, Tory Ross, Wayne Schroder, Maia Nkenge Wilson, Brandi Wooten
Open/Close Dates
Opening 4/7/2009
Closing 9/6/2009
Box Office
212-307-4100
Theatre Info
Marquis Theatre
1535 Broadway
New York, NY 10036
Map
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