Last night, I took advantage of being in San Diego to go into town, dine with friends at one of my favorite restaurants when it wasn't full of Comic-Con people and see a production of the musical 9 to 5 mounted by the San Diego Musical Theater group at the Spreckels Theater.
I didn't see the musical based on the 1980 movie when it played Broadway or elsewhere and was curious but I mainly went because my friend Candi Milo was in it. Candi who is one of the best voice actresses working today did not surprise me by getting every possible laugh anyone could ever get in the role she played — that of Roz, the loyal secretary to the boss played by Dabney Coleman in the film. I knew she'd be funny. Then again, I didn't know she'd be that funny.
Joy Yandell played Violet (the Lily Tomlin role in the film), Allison Spratt Pearce was Judy (the part Jane Fonda had) and Karyn Overstreet, who looks a lot like Dolly Parton or at least did on stage, played the Dolly Parton role, Doralee. All three leading ladies have powerful singing voices and did fine jobs of disappearing into their characters and making us feel their pains and frustrations.
David S. Humphrey had the Dabney Coleman role and managed to pull off the Dabney Coleman trick of being very funny and very sleazy at the same time. In fact, everyone was pretty good and the whole show was professionally directed, choreographed and staged.
So did I like everything about it? Well, I did have this teensy complaint: I wish all these talented people had been in a better show. The musical itself seemed unspectacular to me with no memorable songs except for the title one. Dolly Parton wrote them and I guess I'm more forgiving of pedestrian lyrics and "near" rhymes in country pop tunes than I am in something done for Broadway.
The storyline itself was starting to feel dated when the film first came out. I recall a lady I knew at the time remarking that the core problems of sexism and discrimination in the workplace weren't really about obvious a-holes like the one Coleman played but from the kind who can retain some veneer of respectability and innocence.
The message of the show is that women should stand up for themselves and not allow discrimination by gender or to be the victims of unwanted sexual aggression. I'm 100% behind the message but I thought the show got a little ham-handed with delivering it.
That said, the audience last night loved it all and many were on their feet for the closing ovations…so what do I know? If you're in the area, you might want to take it in. The show's there through February 26 and I guarantee you laughter every time Candi Milo is onstage. And other times, as well.