I had no idea what to expect when I arrived at the Timber Lake Playhouse on Saturday evening. I’d never seen 9 to 5 before, be it movie or musical, and outside of “Jolene” and the show's titular song, I could not name you a single song by Dolly Parton. Yet none of this got in the way of me enjoying a perfectly fine night of theatre helmed by director Tommy Ranieri.
A big part of me was dreading seeing yet another jukebox musical (which would have been my third in as many months), but thankfully, that’s not what 9 to Five: The Musical is. Outside of its title song, all of the music here is original, and the show itself is refreshingly modern. The setting is a corporate office where employees … work? I’m not sure what the company itself does. It’s never mentioned and it never matters. It’s office work, so it’s tedious.
The story opens (and closes) with some narration from Miss Dolly Parton herself, projected high above the stage, which sets the tone nicely. Parton introduces the audience to the main characters: Violet (Anne Sheridan Smith), a single mom who works hard and is continually passed over for promotions; new hire Judy (Bryanna Cuthill), who’s going through a divorce and has never worked in an office before; and Dolly – excuse me, Doralee (Makenzie Ruff), the buxom secretary who’s always wearing pink. She’s happily married but is the company leper, on account of everyone thinking that she’s shtupping the boss.
While our trio each have their own issues, their biggest problem is their absolutely awful supervisor, Franklin Hart, played by the alarmingly charming Galloway Stevens. The only thing missing from Stevens' gleefully over-the-top performance was some mustache twirling. He’s fun to hate and gives you countless reasons to root against him, though all of those reasons boil down to aggressive misogyny. From spreading rumors that he’s sleeping with his secretary to passing over Violet for a promotion because “you can’t honestly expect a woman to be CEO,” this is a Bad Boss for the record books. His antagonism eventually drives our three protagonists to team up and bond, which is when this production really comes to life and the plot finally kicks into gear.
Smith portrays Violet as stern but hard-working, and grounds everything. Cuthill is appropriately timid at the start, but reveals Judy's wild side as things run more and more off the rails. The hilarious Samantha Bonzi portrays Roz, the throne-sniffing sidekick to Stevens' Hart and gets one of the raunchier musical numbers I’ve seen in quite some time. But for me, the real highlight of the evening was Ruff’s Doralee. Rather than trying to do a Dolly Parton impersonation, she elects to do her own thing, and it’s great. There was no shortage of energy or Texan attitude in her performance, and Ruff's multiple applause breaks throughout the evening were well-earned. The core players are supported by a wonderful ensemble who rise to the occasion and frequently wow with some crisp choreography by Joshua Keen.
The technical side of things got the job done, with Dylan Carter's lighting design being a standout. Joshua Warner's scenic design features an impressive three-in-one set, with Timber Lake’s turntable set rotating between different rooms in the office and working as a suggested space for when characters briefly wander out of the office. I did have a couple of issues with some sloppy paint lines and a surprisingly bare office for the boss, but imagine that a set as large as this one required more time during the build than was available.
However, the scene changes themselves are a blast, as Alex Gendal’s retro projections wash over the entire set, creating a neat effect of movement. There were some sound issues during Saturday evening’s performance, with mics cutting out for two actors during their big numbers. Thankfully, Stevens and Cuthill were more than up to the task, and both brought the house down sans microphones.
There was also the issue of the show's awkwardly divided running time. I wasn’t paying much attention to the clock, but I’m confident that the first act is twice the length of the second which is … odd. This is definitely one of those musicals in which you go into intermission feeling like you’ve already seen a full show. But my issues with the book end there, the music by Parton is gorgeous, and the book by Patricia Resnick refreshingly treats its women as actual people instead of props or eye candy. And how relieved I was that the divorcee didn’t arbitrarily end up remarried at the end.
9 to 5: The Musical didn’t particularly wow me, but I don’t think it was trying to. If you’re in the mood for some feminist theatre that can make you laugh and tap your toes, Timber Lake’s most recent production is a great way to spend an evening or afternoon.
9 to 5: The Musical runs at the Timber Lake Playhouse (8215 Black Oak Road, Mt. Carroll IL) through July 30, and more information and tickets are available by calling (815)244-2035 or visiting TimberLakePlayhouse.org.
