The Musical ‘9 to 5’ Pokes Fun at Sexism

Theater Review

Like the 1980 hit movie ‘9 to 5,’ the new musical version amusingly portrays the ordeals women face in a testosterone-driven workplace. In the world premiere of the musical playing at the Ahmanson Theatre downtown through October 19, female employees thrive on gossip in the song ‘Tattletales,’ as they endure sexist comments from their boss, Franklin Hart (Marc Kudisch). The musical’s plot follows three disgruntled female employees who devise a humorous scheme to sabotage their boss, whom they commonly refer to as a ‘sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot.’ The musical is set to open on Broadway in April at the Marriott Marquis Theatre. Patricia Resnick wrote both the screenplay and the book, while Dolly Parton contributed her delightful sense of humor by composing the musical’s 23 songs. Parton starred in the feature film playing Doralee Rhodes with actresses Jane Fonda (Judy Bernly) and Lilly Tomlin (Violet Newstead). In this version, actress Megan Hilty assumes the role of Doralee Rhodes, while Stephanie J. Block plays Judy Bernly and Allison Janney plays Violet Newstead. Block, whose character is working her first job after her husband left her for a woman ‘whose IQ matches her age,’ impressively sings ‘Get Out and Stay Out.’ With her powerful voice, Block bares Judy’s grief in losing love and her happiness in newfound independence discovered over the course of the play. Hilty takes on the most difficult leading character undertaking Parton’s tour-de-force role in the movie. Her character Doralee is a parody of Parton, a Southern country girl with a Barbie doll figure. It’s hard not to forget Parton’s Doralee, but Hilty delivers Resnick’s one-liners and Parton’s lyrics with sass and a nearly perfect Southern accent. Janney has the weakest singing voice of the lead actresses, but she more than makes up for it with her comedic intuition. Utterly deadpan, she captures the bitterness of her character Violet, who has worked at the company for years but has never received a promotion. Kathy Fitzgerald, who plays the love struck spinster Roz, gives the most delightful performance. She professes her character’s love for the boss in a song, ‘Heart to Hart,’ in the ladies room, flinging toilet paper in the air during a moment of passion. Scantily clad dancers burst out of the stalls, and the image of Hart ripping his shirt open and exposing his chest hair appears in the mirror. The scene is just one example of Andy Blankenbuehler’s amazing choreography. The most impressive aspect of the production is the set design, which flows seamlessly from one office scene to the next. The musical, directed by Joe Mantello, begins and ends with the catchy ‘9 to 5’ tune, which is hard not to hum later. Contact: 213-628-2772.