This semester’s big theatre production, “9 to 5 The Musical,” closed Nov. 23 after six performances in Smothers Theatre.
Directed and choreographed by Theatre professor Kelly Todd, “9 to 5 The Musical” is an award-winning show based on the 1980 film of the same name. It features music and lyrics written by Dolly Parton, who starred in the movie.
Set in the 1970s, the story follows three cunning secretaries who scheme against their awful boss while empowering one another and creating a better workplace for their fellow women.
The show stars junior Zoe O’Donnell as Violet Newstead, a secretary who shows the ropes to the newly-hired and never-employed Judy Bernly, played by junior Tessa Hemphill. Along with Doralee Rhodes, played by junior Lucy Schene, the three women become a powerful trio in their pursuit of a brighter future.
Franklin Hart, Jr., played by senior Spencer Williams, is the main villain of “9 to 5 The Musical.” As the President of Consolidated Industries, he sings a misogynistic musical number aimed at Doralee, called “Here for You,” in his dark wood office. Despite being so despicable, his character is still written with humor in mind, which balances out the musical’s heavy themes.
“I thought it was absolutely hilarious,” junior Bethany Kronlund said. “I have a lot of friends in the cast and ensemble and in the pit doing, like, the instruments, and they did a phenomenal job.”
The ensemble actors liven up the biggest scenes in “9 to 5 The Musical,” such as during the titular intro song, where they scurried from pajamas to business casual attire within seconds backstage. There were several times throughout the show where the ensemble surrounded named characters, such as when Roz Keith, played by junior Kaiya Treash, sings a song about her lust for Franklin (“Heart to Hart”).
Schene, who had to channel Dolly Parton in her role as Doralee, emphasized the importance of the story in an interview after opening night.
“It’s a super important story to tell, even though it’s like in the ’70s, because, you know, we haven’t truly overcome, you know, inequality,” Schene said. “So as a woman, it feels very, very fulfilling to see the bad guy lose.”
The whole set was transformed to fit the genre-spanning marijuana-fueled murder fantasies of Judy, Doralee and Violet in the first act. Similarly, other settings throughout the show, namely the office spaces, were brimming with detail. Actors energetically wheeled around crowded desks, king-sized beds and a Xerox copy machine in relevant scenes.
After the show, attendees gathered outside Smothers Theatre to greet the cast and crew as they trickled out from backstage. Friends and family members gave bouquets to the performers, and the entire cast and crew posed for a photo on the stairs.
“It was so great,” senior Lauren Brajevich said.
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Contact Henry Adams via email: henry.adams@pepperdine.edu
