CATCO's '9 to 5, The Musical' tackles serious topic with humor
From bad bosses to sexual harassment, women’s workplace challenges are no laughing matter.
Yet the movie “9 to 5” and the Broadway musical it inspired tap such real-world issues for both drama and comedy.
CATCO’s restaged “9 to 5, The Musical,” opening Thursday in the Riffe Center, is the show’s first professional Columbus production.
“I’m excited that a lot of people will see this musical for the first time ... ’9 to 5’ is so funny, but is about something very serious: gender in the workplace,” Artistic Director Leda Hoffmann said.
How different are the movie and musical?
Based on the 1980 film starring Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin and Dolly Parton, the largely faithful musical charts an unlikely friendship among three women who conspire to neutralize their sexist, egotistical boss and improve their corporate workplace.
Parton wrote the score for the 2009 Broadway show, incorporating her catchy film title song, with Patricia Resnick adapting the musical’s book from the screenplay she co-authored with film director Colin Higgins.
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“Fans of the movie will get the iconic moments and lines we all expect, but the musical takes that story further into the world of theatricality,” Hoffmann said.
While giving the Broadway show mixed reviews as an old-fashioned crowd-pleaser with too much smirky humor, critics praised Parton for her countrified pop songs.
New York Post critic Elizabeth Vincentelli, for instance, gave Parton, “a storyteller first and foremost,” much of the credit for the “goofily entertaining” show.
“Of all the mainstream artists who've tried their hand at show music in the past few years, she may be the most convincing,” Vincentelli wrote.
How did Dolly Parton inspire one CATCO actress?
Annie Huckaba returns to CATCO to play Doralee, Parton’s film role as the secretary to nasty boss Franklin Hart Jr., portrayed by Luke Bovenizer.
“She’s a sweet and feisty young lady pursuing her dreams. She really needs this job, and is doing her best despite a gross boss,” said Huckaba, a former CATCO acting apprentice.
When she learns that Hart has not only been leering at her but also lying about her, Doralee insists he stop his harassment.
“That’s such a serious and important topic, but the musical handles it with comedy and lightness,” Huckaba said.
Huckaba has performed on and off since 2011 at Dollywood, Parton’s Tennessee amusement park.
“My performance nods to Dolly and other beautiful, endearing women from the South,” she said.
A Lebanon, Ohio, native and 2014 Capital University graduate, Huckaba never imagined she’d meet Parton, much less perform with her.
“I got to sing with her four times. ... We did a duet together and yes, that inspires me. She’s so grounded in who she is and how she grew up,” she said.
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How does another actress approach playing Judy?
Shauna Marie plays Judy Bernley, Fonda’s film role as a recent divorcee who’s never worked before.
“She’s the quintessential housewife who’s had the rug pulled out from under her,” Marie said. “Facing her first day at work, Judy feels terrified but is trying to hold it together and be brave."
The Black actress seized the opportunities afforded by CATCO’s non-traditional casting to better define her role.
“What’s really interesting to explore is Judy’s experience as a Black woman navigating the workspace ... how she would dress and act in a predominantly white space in the 1970s,” she said.
Marie admires Parton’s Tony-nominated score.
“The score is so fun to sing and listen to, and who doesn’t love Dolly?” Marie said.
Her favorite song: “Get Out and Stay Out,” a second-act solo.
“It’s where Judy really finds herself ... a powerful, self-affirming anthem of independence. She’s moved on with her life and she’s not going back to who she was before,” Marie said.
How does CATCO's staging deepen the show's impact?
For “9 to 5,” CATCO modified the proscenium-style Studio One into an “alley-style” 200-seat configuration with theatergoers on both sides of the long central stage.
With audiences no more than six rows away, that unusual format enhances the show’s intimacy, Hoffmann said.
But the unusual format makes stage movements tricky.
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“During a song or scene, you have to do full 360-degree movements to make sure everyone has a good picture,” Marie said.
By giving audiences such a close-up look at a workplace musical, CATCO aims to intensify the comedy and drama.
“Comedy is an amazing tool to bring things up to our consciousness ... and this musical doesn’t let us off the hook,” Hoffmann said. “The show allows us to celebrate the progress we’ve made, but also makes us think about how far we have to go.”
CATCO’s production should raise awareness about ongoing challenges of women in the workplace, according to Kelley Griesmer, president/CEO of The Women’s Fund of Central Ohio, a nonprofit public foundation.
“I really believe in the power of art, because it changes hearts and minds in ways that our serious work doesn’t do,” Griesmer said.
“Until you see the movie or musical, it’s hard to put yourselves in the shoes of other people and see how the system is treating them. If you can laugh at it, that can bring men and women into the same circle to help bring about change.”
@mgrossberg1
At a glance
CATCO will present “9 to 5, The Musical” at 7:30 p.m. Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and 2 p.m. Sundays Feb. 2-19 in the Riffe Center’s Studio One Theatre, 77 S. High St. Tickets cost $47.50. (cbusarts.org)
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: CATCO performing 9 to 5, The Musical Feb. 2-19 at Riffe Center
