9 to 5 the Musical – Darlington Hippodrome

A satire on sexual politics in the workplace, 9 to 5 the movie was released in 1980 and was based on the work of a real-life organization for working women’s rights of the same name that was founded in the early 1970s. In the intervening five plus decades, sexual equality in the workplace has come a long way – although sadly nowhere near as far as it should have, meaning that this musical adaptation of the film (originally staged in 2008) still has a sharp bite even when the source of the comedy should have been muzzled years ago.

However, putting real-world problems out of the way, 9 to 5 the Musical is an exhilaratingly funny piece of musical comedy with a pretty good score by none other than Dolly Parton. It pits three downtrodden female employees who, through some comical misunderstandings, wind up kidnapping their boorishly chauvinistic boss. It’s a solid setup for a fun farce and 9 to 5 definitively delivers the laughs while also being filled with empowering ballads for its three protagonists.

This new production is by Landmark Theatres whose aim is to bring high-quality theatre to the widest demographic including touring this show to smaller regional venues that may not necessarily otherwise see large-scale musicals. While Darlington Hippodrome doesn’t quite fit into that category, nevertheless this is an admirable venture, and while 9 to 5 can certainly be seen as a large-scale musical, because of Landmark’s aim to visit smaller venues this production does feel a little too small-scale, particularly at the Hippodrome.

The main issue is the fixed set: a generic facade that houses the offices on the stage level, with the orchestra and almost every other setting placed on a raised level. The stage level office is made up of desks and chairs divided by imaginary walls, and while the characters constantly walking around these invisible obstacles becomes somewhat of a running joke, it means that the playing areas of some scenes are extremely limited – especially Mr Hart’s supposedly plush office that is just a nicer desk in the corner of the stage. This problem is more apparent with the upper-level area where key scenes such as Hart’s captivity in his bedroom are played in a tiny space way upstage. The set’s colour scheme is mainly grey and, coupled with a costume plot that goes for a realistic 1980 look (a lot of brown!), the overall visual palette is uninspiringly drab. Even fantasy numbers such as One of the Boys are not given the glitz that would have been a welcome relief.

Fortunately, this production makes up for that with its fantastic cast, each one of them delivering an infectiously enthusiastic performance that makes the script sparkle and the score shine. As office manager Violet, Jade Marvin has the required mix of strength and vulnerability for the role while bringing a nicely different, rich, soulful interpretation to the songs. Kayla Carter makes a wonderfully believable and extremely funny Judy, a bag of nerves with little confidence or self-esteem who then, of course, triumphantly finds her voice by the final curtain. Tim Rogers is clearly having fun as the misogynistic Mr Hart, and Jessica Martin brings her decades of comedy experience to the role of Roz, resulting in a show-stopping and hilarious rendition of Heart to Hart. In the Dolly Parton role of Doralee, Karla Tracey nails the Tennessee twang and delivers a genuinely charming portrayal and exquisite vocals: especially impressive considering that this is her professional debut. Sadly, Tracey is let down by her costumes which make the numerous lines about her flamboyant appearance (as well as the whole song Backwoods Barbie) completely incongruous by having her in a pretty, pastel coloured dress. Did the costume designer even read the script? Dolly Parton herself also makes an appearance as a prerecorded disembodied voice delivering mostly redundant narration and joining in with the title song. Unnecessary but cute.

9 to 5 the Musical is a crowd-pleaser and this production is no exception. If you have seen it before either on the West End or on its previous UK tour, you would do well to temper your expectations as far as scale is concerned, although this reviewer challenges anyone not to still have a great time.