What A Way To Make A Living!
As well as the unforgettable hit song, Parton wrote the music and lyrics for the show. It hit Broadway in 2009 with Oscar winner Alison Janney, 2019 Tony winner Stephanie J Block, and Tony nominee Megan Hilty, getting 4 Tony nominations that year but coming away empty handed.
It came to London earlier this year and has been getting a mixed/marmite reception, ranging from poor to one of the biggest theatre surprises of the year.
Now, amazingly to my Mum, I hadn't seen the film before; and I went in with an open mind, but at the same time not expecting too much. Let's be honest, this isn't high brow anything, and it is proud of it.
For anyone who doesn't know the plot, it's a female empowerment fantasy following 3 women who all work in the same office: Violet, Doralee and Judy. When they've had enough of their sexist and egotistical boss, they do what any of us would have done.....
- Kidnap him
- Tie him up in his own S+M gear
- Dangle him off the chandelier in his house
- And try to prove his dirty dealings in the company weren't only towards the female staff....
Yeah, standard stuff.
Along with the production, the tour brings a lot of people in its cast in London, including two of its stars: Louise Redknapp as Violet and Amber Davies as Judy. Redknapp was ok, but Davies really surprised me. Not sounding horrid, being that she won Love Island, I really wasn't expecting much, as I HATE that trash. But.... you know what.... she as an incredible voice, and while not putting on a perfect performance, she did blow my expectation out of the water, especially during her 11 o'clock Get Out And Stay Out. And you know what; she's trained... She's not a stunt casting in for the sake of it, she went to drama school and did the hard work before going on Love Island. Good on you Amber.
While rounding out the cast, I need to mention Georgina Castle as Doralee (who Parton played in the film), as she probably brought the best performance out of the 3. I was laughing a lot when she was onstage.
It is definitely one for the girls, whether that be Mother/Daughter date, a hen do, or just a general girly night out - for any of these, this show is a perfect choice. Plus I can see this show being a bit fat guilty pleasure musical (though nothing can beat Legally Blonde in that department for me).
There is one thing they need to sort out though and that is the sound balance. It often sounded like the band was drowning the actors a bit - not too much, but enough for us to miss out quite a few words during the songs. You can tell what they were singing ABOUT but not exactly WHAT they were singing - this is only the 2nd (I think) stop on the tour though, so they have time to fix it.
I will admit this is a bit of a marmite show. I didn't hate it, but wouldn't say it was THE BEST THING ALL YEAR! Nevertheless, I had a great time, and so did my Mum. We hadn't been on a theatre date, with just the two of us, since Calender Girls, and it was much needed!
If you're not looking for something too serious, a bit flimsy and fun with plenty of strong country cheese, then 9 to 5 may be for you.
On another note, just down the road, & Juliet with Miriam Teak-Lee (Hamilton), Oliver Tompsett, Cassidy Janson (Chess) and more, has just opened at the Opera House - now I cannot go to this with all of my friends, as I have an 8am flight to Vienna for my holiday the night after they go (eeesh!). But I hear so far off others (inc. The Break A Leggers) that it's kinda similar feat to 9 to 5 - in that its fun and doesn't take itself seriously in the slightest.
Seems like whichever theatre you go to, Manchester is bringing out its fun side this week!
9 to 5 is running at the Palace Theatre until Saturday, so if you want tickets, you'll have to tumble outta bed, stumble in the kitchen and pour yourself a cup of ambiton pretty quick!
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