by Kevin Shaw
Recently, I’ve been marginalizing the readers out there who have never seen the iconic movies that have been turned into the Broadway musicals that Memphis has been producing as of late (Beauty and the Beast; Priscilla, Queen of the Desert and The Little Mermaid). All the “cool kids” have seen those movies—why haven’t you? Now, it’s my turn to hang with the “un-cool” as I can ashamedly say that I’ve never seen the film inspiration for Playhouse on the Square’s latest film-turned-into-a-musical-in-the-hopes-of-guaranteeing-an-audience—9 to 5: The Musical. In all honesty, I might have seen the 1980 film starring Dolly Parton, Jane Fonda and Lilly Tomlin, but, if I did, I was only 14 years old at the time and it made no impression on me whatsoever. Since then, I’ve somehow avoided feeling any obligation to find time to see what I might have missed. So, unlike those other recent musical productions where I spent the vast majority of the time comparing what was onstage to what was in my “movie memory,” 9 to 5: The Musical was going to be judged solely on its effectiveness as a “stand-alone” musical. There would be no fond memories for me to visit that might excuse any missed moments onstage. This musical production needed to justify its incarnation completely on its own. It didn’t.
According to Playhouse on the Square’s “Director’s Notes” by Gary John La Rosa, Dolly Parton “always felt the film was a natural for musicalization.” Really? Why? Since when does a story about misogyny and sexual harassment in the workplace inspire twangy country songs and dance numbers? Sure, I get the deeper message being about women’s lib, ERA and equal pay for women—big issues back in 1980 that are still (mind-bogglingly) issues today. I’m certain it was perceived as revolutionary by many audiences in 1980 to see women “stick it to the man-boss” and transform the workplace into a decent, respectful, equal environment for all. I “get” the message, just not the vehicle.
9 to 5: The musical has all the depth of “Three’s Company” combined with the nuance of a plaid leisure suit. Rather than obliterating the deplorableness of gender inequality with intelligence, class and wit, this show slaps you in the face with big hair and even bigger “boobs.” “Office” musicals can work (see Thoroughly Modern Millie or How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying) with the right music and the right angle. But, with music and lyrics, all by Dolly Parton, disappointingly, only the titular song is worth remembering. Stylistically, scoring an office comedy with country music is just as off-putting as it sounds. While How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying won the Pulitzer Prize for drama, 9 to 5 might win the prize for crass. Accidently pouring rat poison into your boss’ coffee, followed by tying him up with telephone wire and then hanging him from your garage door opener hardly equates to “comedy with a message.” Such an incredulous series of events may bring to delight to those of you reliving your cinematic guffaws almost 40 years later, but, to the “unenlightened” rest of us, it was just painful to watch.
As has been the case for most Playhouse productions recently, the talent is never the issue, it’s the material. Playhouse’s talent pool can take good material to great, but not bad material to good. Even the best musical numbers in this show are direct rip-offs from much more successful musicals—“Heart to Hart,” a song by Roz (the chauvinistic boss’s assistant, Mr. Hart) is full of multiple clones singing and dancing a la The Producers, “Along Came Bialy” and “One of the Boys” (Violet’s fantasy song about being considered an equal in the workplace) is a direct steal from Chicago’s “Roxie” where a chic, stylish woman sings her independence anthem supported by a chorus of dancing boys. Only Jenny Odle Madden’s (Judy) 11 o’clock knockout performance of “Get Out and Stay Out” will make you perk up and long for what else might have been.
While reiterating the strength of the talent in 9 to 5, there were several occasions where it isn’t completely clear if the “misses” were due to director/choreographer John La Rosa’s choices or the script. Michael Detroit’s portrayal of the sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical, bigoted boss, Franklin Hart, Jr. bordered on cartoonish rather than intimidating. His buffoonery diminished the pain “real-life men” have caused women in the workplace. If this misogynistic boss is a joke, how can we take the message to be serious? The “satisfaction” of watching this man get his comeuppance is minimized when he doesn’t appear to be a credible threat to begin with. Mr. Detroit nails the sleaziness (you’ll want to shower every time he enters the stage) and he definitely will make you laugh, but I also wanted him to be scary—which he wasn’t. Jeanna Juleson as Violet (Lily Tomlin role) and Nicole Renee Hale as Doralee (Dolly Parton role) did the best with what weak script they had to work with, but it’s Jenny Odle Madden’s portrayal of Judy (Jane Fonda role) that was the most three dimensional of the lot and she impressively found a way to combine the humor with the drama. (I have no qualms with adding humor to drama or vice versa, but, despite its attempt to be otherwise, this show is all surface with no depth.)
There’s a reason musicals only run a total of three months on Broadway. With a recognizable name like 9 to 5, the sheer title alone should have provided a steady audience for much longer than that. How bad was the word of mouth that audiences who loved the movie were too afraid to even judge it for themselves? These producers (like so many others) gambled that if you loved the movie, you’ll also love the musical. That might be true for those of you who loved the movie, but for those of you who haven’t seen the movie yet, I’d recommend your time might be better spent chilling and watching it on Netflix.
Grade: C
Now through September 3rd
