NY1 Theater Review: "9 To 5"
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The Broadway remake of the hit film "9 to 5," with music and lyrics by the original co-star Dolly Parton, tries hard to entertain with mixed results. NY1's Theater critic Roma Torre filed the following review."9 To 5" is the workaholic of Broadway musicals, trying in every way to entertain its audience with decidedly mixed results. I kept thinking of Kander and Ebb's lyrics - "Give 'em the old razzle dazzle... give 'em act with lots of flash in it and the reaction will be passionate." As a musical, "9 To 5" is pretty flimsy stuff but credit is due to a very talented company that works overtime to sell it.
Just like the movie, the musical focuses on a trio of downtrodden secretaries who teach their abusive boss a thing or two about respect for women in the workplace.
Patricia Resnick, who co-wrote the screenplay, pretty much reconstitutes the film's well-intentioned charms for the stage. Parton wrote all the music in addition to the film's Grammy-winning title number and I have to say the songs are pretty darn good, if not exactly inspired, and in some cases derivative.
The dated storyline is a problem. The 1970s-style blatant sexism that forced women to wear dresses and fetch coffee for their bosses is long gone, and so the central conflict doesn't resonate all that much now. The plot, implausible as it is, does touch on the inequity of pay and women learning to be more assertive and so perhaps one could argue it's still somewhat relevant.
That said, Joe Mantello pulls out all the directorial stops on this sweetly silly musical and he achieves a nifty sleight of hand. He covers up the show's deficiencies with a kaleidoscope of fevered energy. Even the sets dance around and every song seems to get a big production number.
The lead performers are wonderful. Marc Kudisch is a huge plus in the Dabney Coleman role. The nasty blowhard is a familiar routine for him but he pulls it off with gusto.
Allison Janney in the Lily Tomlin role is not the greatest singer but is quite a class act, and wins the crowd over with her great warmth and presence. Stephanie J. Block in the mousy Jane Fonda role comes into her own beautifully. Finally, Dolly Parton has been cloned by Megan Hilty, a bosomy belter with tons of down-home appeal.
On the theme of numbers, "9 To 5" rates a 5 for content but the razzle dazzle factor earns a 9. Depending on your taste for mindless extravaganza, the show's overall score is somewhere in between.