Alyson Enderle, Haley Methner, and Jen Burleigh-Bentz play the leads in the production of “9 to 5 the Musical” at the Duluth Playhouse. Photo submitted.
DD ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT REVIEW – 9 to 5 the Musical Combines Entertaining Escapism with Meaningful Themes
By Sheryl Jensen, Editor DD A&E
Amid a steamy heat wave and unnerving political turmoil, the audience was ready for an entertaining escape as they entered the NorShor Theatre in Duluth for 9 to 5 the Musical. Laughter is medicine for the soul, and the Duluth Playhouse cast delivered a healthy dose.
Dolly Parton herself made a brief cameo video appearance at the Duluth Playhouse on Friday night before 9 to 5 the Musical began, even singing a few bars of the show’s instantly recognizable theme song.
She also reminded the audience of a time in 1979 before computers and cell phones, when shag rugs, disco, and pet rocks were all the rage, and when gas was 88 cents a gallon. And of the show’s workplace environment, Parton added, “There was no such thing as office assistants, we were ‘just’ secretaries.”
Parton wrote the music and lyrics for the title song for the beloved 1980 movie starring Lily Tomlin, Jane Fonda, and the inimitable Dolly herself. Both the iconic song and the film owe their titles to 9 to 5, an organization founded in 1973 to bring about fair pay and equal treatment for women in the workplace. Parton went on to write the music and lyrics for 9 to 5 the Musical which opened on Broadway in 2009.
It is certain that many people under thirty in the opening night audience had never seen the movie, much less the musical adaptation, and were encountering these characters and this revenge comedy for the first time.
And those who were very familiar with the characters and story were ready to sing along with the opening song.
“9 to 5” feels like a classic old-school musical comedy, with a large cast, big production numbers, plenty of dancing, colorful period costumes, and many opportunities for laughter.
The three leads, Jen Burleigh-Bentz (Violet Newstead), Haley Methner (Doralee Rhodes), and Alyson Enderle (Judy Bernly), are top-notch, all with convincing acting chops, great comedic timing, and powerhouse vocals. Each of their characters gives a different perspective of working the 9 to 5 life.
Violet is an office supervisor at Consolidated Industries. She has been passed over for promotions given to much less qualified men, seeing her boss take credit for her work, and been ignored when she had ideas to improve productivity and working conditions.
Early on, Doralee laments about being a “backwoods Barbie” with “too much makeup and too much hair” and being the victim of malicious lies and gossip about having an affair with the company’s sleazy boss, Mr. Franklin Hart Jr. (Ole Dack).
Prim and proper Judy, recently divorced from her philandering husband who left her for another woman, has never even had a job before. She gets swept up in a whole new world of fixing jammed copy machines, hearing office gossip, and finding allies and friends.
The three represent all those who were and still are victims of gender injustices, passed over for getting “fair promotions,” and tired of being just “a step on the bossman’s ladder.”
Each actress has great fun with the comic fantasy sequence songs, where they imagine how they could get revenge on Hart. “The Dance of Death” is Judy’s turn as a femme fatale, in a sexy tango in which she both enchants, scares, and dominates Hart.
Doralee’s “Cowgirl’s Revenge” is a Western hoot where she fantasizes about lassoing, dragging to the ground, hog-tying, and even “branding” Hart on his backside.
The hysterically funny “Potion Notion” has Violet playing Snow White, who sings in an ever-so-sweet voice about poisoning her despicable boss.
After escalating despicable behavior from Hart, crazy circumstances lead the women to take matters into their own hands. And, in a series of initially unintended happenings with poison, guns, and tangled telephone cords, they kidnap him.
Dack is appropriately smarmy and disgusting as Hart, who is repeatedly described as a “sexist, egotistical, lying, hysterical bigot.” The audience can’t wait to see how he will get what he deserves for being such a deplorable human being.
Carrie Rossow's performance as Roz Keith, Hart’s frumpy assistant who spys, digs up dirt, and is Hart’s ever-faithful sycophant, was a true scene-stealer.
Roz’s “Heart to Hart” show-stopping number has her writhing on Hart’s desk, revealing her unspoken feelings of love and lust for the boss and her unexpected scarlet red bra underneath her nondescript work attire. (Cue howls of laughter and more cheers from the audience)
Playing Joe, Violet’s love interest, Ryan Haff was charming, endearing, and funny, with a beautiful voice and great stage presence. Here’s hoping his job as a local Northern News anchor won’t keep him from appearing again soon in another show.
Director Ann Aiko Bergeron, UMD Professor Emeritus, gathered a fabulous cast, including both her leads and her wonderful ensemble, who played multiple roles.
Antony Ferguson was the ensemble's standout dancer, putting his ballet training to good use with some incredible pirouettes.
Bergeron’s company choreography was intricate, complex, and engaging. Her vast experience directing and/or choreographing over 65 plays, musicals, and staged operas, was on clear display throughout the evening.
Her detailed character study with her actors was also evident with some of her past students from UMD Theatre productions, actors new to the Playhouse, and some Playhouse “veterans,” who all had a clear sense of the characters they were portraying and how to bring them to vivid life.
Kudos to Music Director Kyle Picha and the 12-piece orchestra for providing strong musical energy and support for the singers.
Despite the engaging entertainment that “9 to 5” provided to its audience on a warm summer evening, one statistic to keep in mind is that American women today earn, on average, about 82 cents for every dollar a man earns. For Black women, it's about 65 cents. For Latina women, it's about 60 cents.
In Destination Duluth's recent profile Bergeron said, “The 9 to 5 movement was a historical movement that bears recognition. ‘9 to 5 The Musical’ catapults the issues through humor, camp, music, and dance, and we hope the audience leaves with a spark of empowerment and/or impetus for change.”
Information for “9 to 5 the Musical” Duluth Playhouse
Performances July 12-28 at the Duluth Playhouse at 211 E. Superior Street
Thursdays – Saturdays @ 7:30pm
Saturday Matinee on July 13 at 2pm
Sunday Matinee on July 21 and 28 at 2pm
Audio Description: July 13 @ 2pm (Paul Ranelli)
ASL Interpretation: July 26 @ 7:30pm (Interpreters: Rebecca Rick & Emily Engel)
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Director and choreographer: Ann Aiko Bergeron
Music Director: Kyle Picha
Music & Lyrics by Dolly Parton
Book by Patricia Resnick
Scenic Design: Curtis Phillips
Lighting Design: Patrick Mulcahy
Sound Design: Nick Gosen
Costume Design: Peg Ferguson
Prop Design: Carrie Powers Greer
Tickets are available online at duluthplayhouse.org. Box office hours 10 am to 5 pm Monday through Friday. For more information, call 218-733-7555 or visit: www.duluthplayhouse.org/shows/9-to-5-the-musical
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About Sheryl Jensen - Arts & Entertainment Editor
A retired educator with the Duluth Public Schools, Sheryl Jensen has been a theater director of over 60 school and community productions. Her production of William Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew at East High School won the National High School Theater award from the BRAVO television network.
She has written theater, music, dance, and opera reviews for the Duluth News Tribune for many years and is now the Arts & Entertainment Editor for Destination Duluth.
