9 to 5, Edinburgh Playhouse, Review

Rating (out of 5)
4
Show details
Company
Ambassador Theatre Company
Production
Jeff Calhoun (Director & Choreographer), Mark Crossland (Musical Dorector), Lisa Stevens (co-choreographer)
Performers
Jackie Clune (Violet), Amy Lennox (Doralee), Natalie Casy(Judy), Bonnie Langford (Roz), Ben Richards (Franklyn J. Hart)
Running time
150mins

A very good day at the office for women as they get their revenge and make their point! 9 to 5 is at times a comic romp bordering on farce but there is a serious point being made.

Set on the cusp of the 70’s and 80’s it is supposed to be a retrospective look at life in offices where the male boss ruled the roost with the emphasis on ‘man’ in management. The tyrannical, sexist boss Franklyn J Hart (Ben Richards) probably still exists if you can judge by the whoops of laughter from the predominantly female audience. If you are that type of male chauvinist boss and your staff have been on an early Christmas outing then look out.

Three very different women combine to kidnap their Boss with hilarious results and then set out to run the company from a female perspective resulting in benefits for the entire workforce.

The show opens courtesy of some footage Of Dolly Parton in tandem with the title song and while other songs carry the story well they rarely match 9 to 5 in terms of impact.

While Bonnie Langford could probably grab attention singing the ‘Sunday Post’ she really was brilliant with her delivery of ‘Heart to Hart’. With Bonnie a standout throughout the show it took good performances from the three main female characters not to be overshadowed by such a star of musical theatre.

Amy Lennox in Dolly’s role as Doralee was involved in the best of the physical comedy especially the scene in her Boss’s bedroom which also included a great line thoroughly enjoyed by the women in the audience.

Natalie Casey as the naive newcomer to the office got the character just right as she made the transition to a woman of strength. Jackie Clune is a very effective leader of the pack as the woman with the talent to be Chief Executive but passed over in favour of males that she had trained.

While this show is all about women gaining the upper hand and the boss man getting his come uppance, it has to be said that Ben Richards is really brilliant as ‘Mr Nasty’. Another filmed appearance by Dolly Parton brought the audience in the stalls to its collective feet and there was a definite buzz as the audience spilled out onto Leith Walk

Show times

Runs to Saturday 1st December, 7-30pm (Matinees Wednesday and Saturday, 2-30pm)