If there’s one thing this divided nation can agree on, it’s this: Dolly Parton.
She’s a national treasure. Consequently, anything affiliated with her automatically starts out with a heap of goodwill. So it is with 9 to 5: the Musical. The Novato Theater Company has a production running through Oct. 12.
Based, of course, on the 1980 film starring Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin and Parton, it took 28 years for it to be developed into a Broadway musical. The film’s co-screenwriter, Patricia Resnick, wrote the book, and Parton herself supplied the score. The book of the musical adheres pretty closely to the film, with Parton adding more than a dozen original songs beyond the classic title tune.
For those who missed the film, it’s the tale of three hardworking office women at Consolidated Industries and the challenges they face dealing with their sexist, egotistical, lying hypocritical bigot of a boss.
The protagonists remain the same. Violet Newstead (Andrea Thorpe) is constantly overlooked for a promotion, even though she really runs the company. Judy Bernly (Lauren-Sutton-Beattie) is new to the company and new to actually working after being ditched by her louse of a husband. Doralee Rhodes (Bethany Cox) is the secretary who everyone thinks is sleeping with the boss.
The antagonists also remain the same. Office busybody Roz Keith (Amy Dietz) is constantly looking for ways to knife her co-workers in the back while secretly lusting after Mr. Hart (director Larry Williams in the role the weekend I attended, Pat Barr for the other performances). Hart is, of course, a scoundrel, and the ladies band together to give him his comeuppance.
Williams has a good cast at work here. All three leads are solid, with Thorpe’s Violet the backbone. Sutton-Beattie is a delightfully comic Judy, and Cox wisely resists aping Parton’s work in the role. The wig is enough to conjure fond memories of Parton, and Cox takes it from there.
There’s a hard-working ensemble moving desks and chairs throughout the show while providing nice vocal support to the group numbers. Nick Brown leads a great five-piece band that kept things musically moving during those transitions.
Parton’s score is quintessentially Parton, with “Backwoods Barbie” a highlight, along with the title tune.
This is comfort theater, bound to please those familiar with the source material and provide a good evening or afternoon’s entertainment for those who aren’t.
‘9 to 5 the Musical’ runs through Oct. 12 at the Novato Theater Company, 5420 Nave Dr., Ste. C, Novato. Fri & Sat, 7:30pm; Sun, 2pm., $25–$37. 415.883.4498. novatotheatercompany.org.
