Review: 9 to 5

Hey readers!
It's time for my review of 9 to 5.

Featuring a number of Dolly Parton's greatest hits, the musical is the story of three employees – Violet, Doralee and Judy – who work under their difficult boss Franklin Hart, Jr. at Consolidated Industries. When it’s revealed Judy doesn’t have any work experience, the others take her under their wing and give her a few tips about surviving in an office environment.

9 to 5 is, undoubtedly, a lot of fun and certainly takes its audience on a wild journey. Whilst at first the show seems to be a simple story about three ordinary office workers who dislike their domineering boss, 9 to 5 later takes a very dramatic turn when suddenly the three women decide enough is enough and go to desperate measures to banish their misogynistic employer. The different twists and turns that the story takes is very amusing, and as the show went on, I became intrigued to find out how it would end. The show has a real feel-good factor, which in turn means audience members will likely leave the theatre overjoyed, and ultimately, that is a very important quality for any show. At the heart of this musical are its messages of feminism and gender equality, as well as sexual harassment in the workplace. Whilst the show is well-intentioned in its attempt to tackle these issues, I did find that these elements of the story could be somewhat corny at times. There was a lack of subtly to the way such topics were handled, which is likely as to why the show's efforts to deal with such matters came across in this way. Despite holding these feelings, I still throughly enjoyed 9 to 5 and found it hard to be averse. 

This production has three leads, and those are Caroline Sheen as Violet Newstead, Natalie McQueen as Doralee Rhodes and Amber Davies as Judy Bernly. Sheen, McQueen and Davies were all phenomenal, and had remarkable chemistry with one another, creating a life-like and believable friendship onstage. All three women had excellent voices, and each had a brilliant stage presence; all of the leading performances mentioned were well and truly flawless. Brian Conley, as Franklin Hart Jr., also gave an outstanding portrayal. Conley played the 'comedic villain' role well, and had the audience in stitches throughout. Whilst all of the cast were marvellous, it was in fact stage veteran Bonnie Langford, in the role of Roz Keith, that stole the show. Langford is a gifted stage performer, and never falters in any performance that she carries out. She was utterly hilarious in this particular role, and gave a show-stopping rendition of 'Hart to Heart'. 

In regards to creativity, the choreography, by Lisa Stevens, is more than deserving of a special mention. The dance routines were exceedingly up-beat and fuelled by an energetic ensemble. They were a true delight to watch.

Now for my final verdict on 9 to 5. I give 9 to 5...

Whilst certain elements of the story were a little corny, I still found 9 to 5 utterly delightful and throughly enjoyed it from beginning to end.

Think it should have got a higher rating? Agree with my rating? Think it should have got a lower rating? If so comment below.

Thanks for reading!

-The Reviewer