REVIEW: Hard-Working Cast Produces Good Time in Moline Spotlight’s New “9 to 5”
You are pretty much guaranteed of a good time with the winning new production of “9 to 5: The Musical,” at Spotlight Theatre, 1800 7th Ave., Moline.
Directed by Becca Casad and starring Katie Griswold in the role immortalized by Dolly Parton in the 1980 film of the same name, we are in very capable hands here, and the stacked cast is eager to please and pulls out all the entertaining stops with practiced poise and professionalism.
Though Parton’s score doesn’t contain any other infectious earworms beyond the driving hit title song, “9 to 5” has a book by Patricia Resnick, based on the screenplay by Resnick and Colin Higgins. The musical premiered in Los Angeles in September 2008, and opened on Broadway in April 2009. It received 15 Drama Desk Award nominations, the most received by a production in a single year, as well as four Tony Awards nominations. The Broadway production however was short-lived, closing in September 2009.
Katie Griswold, center, stars as Doralee in the new Spotlight Theatre production of “9 to 5: The Musical.”
In the movie, the trio of women seeking their revenge against an awful, sexist boss (played by Dabney Coleman on screen) were originally played by Parton, Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin. Here, Griswold is the Dolly role of Doralee (with a big blonde wig and an awesomely big voice), and her comrades in arms are Shana Kulhavy as cynical leader Violet and Haley Tromblee as the nervous newbie Judy, with the villain boss Franklin Hart embodied in all his mean grossness by musical theater veteran Kevin Pieper, reprising the same role from Music Guild’s 2013 production.
While this is an often silly show with lots of humor, heart, and snark, “9 to 5” is also a stinging, relatable critique of a hurtful patriarchal 1979 society (#MeToo persisting to this day) that reveals the struggles, transformations and triumphs of women who flex their strength, smarts, cunning, and moral courage.
Katie Griswold, a 2020 Augiustana grad, has music directed many Spotlight shows, and stars in the Dolly Parton role in the new “9 to 5” production.
Pushed to the boiling point in a generic corporation (what does Consolidated Industries actually make?), three female coworkers concoct a plan to get even with the sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot they call their boss (and in their fantasies, he calls himself).
Shana Kulhavy (who has choreographed three previous shows at Spotlight) makes an impressive debut here as the harried, deadpan widow Violet, a single mom who is a mentor to the young Judy, played beautifully by Haley Tromblee.
Judy reveals she doesn’t have any work experience and is full of fear and doubt, but Violet is proud to train her and gives her a few tips for surviving office life (in “Around Here”). Franklin Hart, Jr., is a blustering, selfish boss, who openly lusts after his secretary, Doralee (they are both married). Kevin Pieper – a veteran, dashing hero on the Music Guild stage – clearly relishes this role, 13 years later, getting to play a loathsome Lothario.
The new “9 to 5” at Spotlight (1800 7th Ave., Moline) stars Haley Tromblee, left, Shana Kulhavy and Katie Griswold.
Griswold, Kulhavy and Tromblee also as clearly enjoy their characters’ bonding and teamwork in seeking to bring down their boss and assert their rightful place in a fairer, more equitable and compassionate workplace. An energetic, exuberant ensemble literally has their backs in supporting the production, with great choreography by Susie Carsell-Schaechter and colorful costumes by Courtney Cooper.
Griswold shows off her spectacular, powerful voice in “Backwoods Barbie,” and in another showstopper, Julie Funk raises the roof as Roz (Hart’s assistant who has the hots for him, God knows why), and cranks up the passion and drama to 11 in her surging song of seduction, “Heart to Hart,” which verges on the pornographic. A female chorus in sparkly red outfits gives us an early Valentine’s Day gift.
After Doralee finds out that Hart’s spread a rumor about their supposed “affair,” the three women go back to Violet’s house to smoke a joint, and while stoned, act out their fevered fantasies about how to exact their vengeance against him. Judy is an unforgiving femme fatale, in the film noir-ish “Dance O’ Death”; Doralee exults in a hoedown, as a rodeo star in “Cowgirl’s Revenge,” and Violet is a demented Snow White in seeking to poison Hart in “Potion Notion,” and Pieper is all acquiescing to his downfall in these wild dreams.
A hospital scene toward the end of the long (90-minute) first act, tends to drag, but the trio of women find their weapons of will in real life, all determined and declaring their independence, refusing to take any more of Hart’s garbage, letting loose in “Shine Like the Sun.”
Spotlight’s “9 to 5” features Kevin Pieper (center), with Mark Kulhavy and Eric Finch.
Being a feel-good musical, justice certainly prevails by the time we get to the end of “9 to 5,” whose Act II includes the giddy, triumphant number “One of the Boys,” led by Kulhavy in a bright, white suit and several women in black and white, with sparkly black vests, and classy dance moves. Kulhavy as Violet also shares a tender, lovely duet (“Let Love Grow”) with her awkward love interest, Joe, played by Matthew Call.
Tromblee literally finds her voice in her strong, commanding number of victory, “Get Out and Stay Out,” where she shows her character’s enviable arc of self-confidence, gaining her life back. Mark Kulhavy (Shana’s real-life hubby) is the hero here as board chairman Tinsworthy, in a key scene.
The fun title song returns at the end, and the bows (greeted by a well-deserved standing ovation Saturday night) encourage the audience to gladly sing along.
“9 to 5” will continue at the Spotlight at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Feb. 13-14, and 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 15. Tickets are available HERE.
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