The Official "9 to 5: The Musical"- Page 3

[thevolleyballer]

Posted: 9/14/08 at 5:36pm

Fabulous, fabulous, fabulous show. Some quick thoughts:

- Allison Janney IS Violet. She's always had that demeanor about her, but hearing her knock those killer one-liners out of the park was a joy. She was just fantastic, and a great surprise. I wasn't sure she could carry the show, but she blew me away.

- I've never been a big Stephanie fan, but you know what, this is a good role for her. I've always seen her as a "weak, vulnerable" actress, meaning I never understood why she kept being cast in these power-to-the-women roles in WICKED and PIRATE QUEEN. She's a fantastic actress, but she just never had that spunk to me. As Judy, though, she's perfect, because Judy is a little weak and a little vulnerable. And when "Get Out And Stay Out" brought down the house, I decided that I could only buy Stephanie as a strong rebellious female if I saw her transformation into one, and I definitely did.

- Megan Hilty was FLAWLESS. Absolutely FLAWLESS.

- Kudisch was great, but heavily underused. "Here For You" is a great song, and I've been singing it for hours and hours (though it seems a lot of people here dislike it), but "Mundania" and its reprise can absolutely be taken away. He needs a better number to replace "Mundania," and then I think I'd be happy with his role. Either way, he's fantastic, and he continues to be one of my favorite Broadway actors.

- The score was great, and I found myself singing a whole bunch of songs after the show (and even now). "Around Here" is such a damn fun number (particularly because I love quick-rhyming verses, which is what the entire song is made of). I must say, I was VERY impressed with Dolly's work here. Some songs had a slight country twang to them in the orchestrations, but the score is fabulous and very accessible. "Shine Like The Sun" is by far one of my favorite show tunes to date... I already can't wait for the cast recording. I do have to say, though, that the songs in Act Two just bored the heck out of me. With the exception of "Get Out and Stay Out" and a couple little parts of some of the others, I really found myself waiting for a few fantastic songs in Act Two, and I only got one, unfortunately. (EDIT: Oh, and "Tattletale" is my new guilty pleasure. What a damn fun song, and so traditionally Dolly.)

Set, great. Choreography, great. Potential for a great run on Broadway (in my mind), great.
Updated On: 9/14/08 at 05:36 PM

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 9/14/08 at 5:45pm

Do we think it's good enough to get a cult following or to get raves from NY critics and possibly win the Best Musical Tonys? Honestly.

[Popular]

Posted: 9/14/08 at 6:52pm

WiCkEDrOcKS - thanks for posting on behalf of your friend. It sounds like her and I would probably agree to disagree on a few things so it just goes to show that if one keeps an open mind (like your friend did) they might be pleasantly surprised to find something in common with the person they'd least expect to enjoy something with :) On a side note... you're breaking my heart with how harsh you're being in the "13" threads. Wow, makes me glad you have good things to say about this show! As far as cult followings and Tony nods go, it's too early to tell but I'm totally rooting for the show to do well!

Volleyballer - I totally agree with you about Megan. She was the pleasant surprise of the show for me. I really liked her Glinda a lot so I was excited to see her branch out, and she totally delivered!

I'll be checking out the changes so I'll report if they do anything different with Hart before they leave L.A.

[cdawg2]

Posted: 9/14/08 at 7:35pm

Got the chance to see the Sat evening show. Excuse any typos, been flying most of today.

Just amazing. They did have one set snafo right after "Tattle Tale" which actually ended up being almost 15 mins before they got it working. There were a couple of little hiccups in the dream sequence, but hey, that's what a preview is for!

The one thing I did come away with was that all three women seem to really like each other, and are having a dang good time together. You could see it (especially in Allison Janney) in the final number.

Stephanie is an interesting casting in the role. Like vb said, she nailed "Get out and stay out" but I also kind of felt the transition wasn't there totally. The copy machine number (don't have program in front of me) she has in the first act didn't work for me, mainly because I didn't buy her as a timid freaked out woman--and her voice will never be that no matter how hard she tries. You could tell the theater junkies in the croud with her "no good deed goes unpunished" line.

Megan--please, she just needs the Tony handed to her now! She was amazing. She rocked the role, and made it her own, not some sort of charature of the movie. Both her and Marc Kudisch impressed me in that way.

Now I'm an Allison Janney junkie, so it was so much fun to see her in this. Like others have said, she's having the best time ever and you can totally tell in every moment. She does have a great voice, and it seemed that once she got out some nerves (she was much stronger in the one that I love song) she nailed it. "One of the Boys" was one of the best numbers.

Did also get to meet the cast after at the stage door, and they could have not been nicer. I will say, Allison Janney seemed the most surprised that we were still waiting to see her too!

Overall, I say see it! It's well worth the price, and just a good time.

[californiasnow]

Posted: 9/14/08 at 10:57pm

Anyone else planning on going to closing night? I'm hoping to be there, to see how the show plays after a month and to see what changes have been made.

[TheatreFreak05]

Posted: 9/14/08 at 11:29pm

I saw the matinee earlier today.

Wow! What a fun show!
The sets were amazing, the choreography was fantastic, and the three leads were perfect. The music is, for the most part, good. There are some great songs, but there are a few lousy ones.

"9 to 5"- The opening number is full of energy and sets the tone perfectly for the rest of the show. Great choreography and ensemble work.

"Around Here"- Allison is great in this song. I LOVE the office set.

"Here For You"- I think this song is a hilarious way to introduce the slimy boss (played by the wonderful Marc Kudisch)

"Out of Control"- Something about this song just didn't do it for me. I didn't really like it.

"Tattletales"- Another fun song with great choreography.

"Backwoods Barbie"- Megan Hilty is so cute! She sounds so good in this song.

"Dance O' Death/ Cowgirl's Revenge/ Potion Notion"- This "dream sequence" was so hilarious! All three of the girls kick butt in this song! The whole thing is so clever :)

"Heart to Hart"- woah....

"Shine Like the Sun"- This is one of my favorite songs in the show. A great act one ending.

"One of the Boys"- Allison is AMAZING in this song! This song was one of the highlights of the show. The screen in the back was really effective in this song, and the choreography is superb!

"Mundania"- This song really needs to be replaced. It's boring and not that funny.

"Get Out and Stay Out"- Stephanie brought down the house! She is amazing. Another great song in the show. I'm so glad Dolly added to the song. It was kinda repetitive before.

"Let Love Grow"- Andy Karl and Allison Janney have such great chemistry onstage. The actual song is ok.

"Finale: 9 to 5"- Contrary to others on this board, I actually thought the finale was great. I liked all of the little monologues by each character.

Over all, I thought the show was wonderful. There are a few kinks that need to be fixed before it's ready for Broadway, but I think it will be a hit. :)
Updated On: 9/15/08 at 11:29 PM

[it'sjustshowbiz]

Posted: 9/15/08 at 1:06am

^
I noticed you didn't mention a few songs that were in the show when I saw it, such as "The One I Love" and "Well-Oiled Machine". Were these still in the show? I really liked "The One I Love", but I wouldn't miss "Well-Oiled Machine" .

[californiasnow]

Posted: 9/15/08 at 1:29am

Both are still there. I thought One I Love was one of the stronger songs in the show.

On an unrelated note, there's a review up on ATC, but I can't really tell if the poster liked it or not...
They can get lots of pull quotes from this one.

[EvanK]

Posted: 9/15/08 at 1:51am

That person must of gone in to the show wanting to hate it.

[notyourmomma]

Posted: 9/15/08 at 2:01am

If it's one of your favorite songs in the show...you've seen it right? So you can answer that question for yourself...right?

[thevolleyballer]

Posted: 9/15/08 at 3:44am

The review said Megan didn't get a solo. Err... solo song? Solo verse? Solo note? Sounds like someone must have conveniently slipped out of the show during "Backwoods Barbie," "Well-Oiled Machine," and oh, I don't know, the entire show? If said someone did in fact see this show... Updated On: 9/15/08 at 03:44 AM

[WickedOne2]

Posted: 9/15/08 at 12:13pm

I just saw the show last night and it was amazing. Megan, Stephanie and Alison have great chemistry together. The score is great and the set is really cool. I definitely think there will be a lot of well-deserved Tony buzz for this show and would not be surprised if it is a serious contender for best musical. Megan Hilty stole every scene that she was in.

[Kelly2]

Posted: 9/15/08 at 12:15pm

So excited to read all these positive reviews, I might be able to see it in a couple weeks. I love me some Dolly.

How's Andy Karl? I know he doesn't have a huge part, but he does have a song w/ Allison Janney, I believe?

Updated On: 9/25/08 at 12:15 PM

[bardolator]

Posted: 9/15/08 at 1:51pm

To those who have seen it: did the songs (musically) seem repetitive to you (within the songs themselves, I mean; not that one some was reminiscent of another)? I'm hoping not, though I read something that suggested some were....

[WickedOne2]

Posted: 9/15/08 at 2:39pm

Andy Karl plays Joe, an accountant at Consolidated (the company they all work for) who has crush on Violet (Alison Janney). His part isn't big but it gets bigger toward the end and he does have a song with Violet, Let Love Grow. He's cute in that nerdy kind of way as he wears glasses the whole show.

[Popular]

Posted: 9/15/08 at 7:48pm

Bard - I didn't feel like any of them were repetitive to the point of being problematic... there were maybe three songs that were just OK for me but for the most part I loved the music!

[TheatreFreak05]

Posted: 9/15/08 at 8:57pm

There were a few songs I left out of my review. I was exhausted and didn't feel like writing about all of them, but don't worry! They are all still there :)

I feel like this show will definitely win some awards. It will for sure win the tony for best scenic design. The scenery was brilliant! the way it all transitioned so smoothly. I feel like they utilized their trap door way better than Legally Blonde did.

[TheatreFreak05]

Posted: 9/15/08 at 9:07pm

^^^^^^ I agree! I hated that song. But I don't think they should cut the whole scene, I just think that they should replace it with a better song.

[Popular]

Posted: 9/18/08 at 7:18pm

This is from a news conference taken today


Love Allisons face in this one!


EDIT: Oh my! How the heck did I miss that? Forget Allison's face, check out the "9-2-5" in silver on the bottom of Dolly's skirt. CLASSIC! LOVE IT :)


ORIGINAL ARTICLE Updated On: 9/18/08 at 07:18 PM

[Brave Sir Robin2]

Posted: 9/18/08 at 9:32pm

I went to the show. I LOVED IT! Definite Best Musical contender. Some thought...

“9 to 5”: Great opening, didn't like the show just starting with the alarm clocks and no overture or intro music. Overall a great song.

“Around Here”: Cute song and a great intro for Violet.

“Here For You”: Hilarious! Loved Marc in this song.

“Out of Control”: Loved Steph, but this song has to go. The show stopped as they worked out the part with the copy machine rising.

“Tattletales”: Cute, but could be done without, this act is pretty long (1.5 hours!)

“9 to 5 Reprise”: Nothing big, but effective

“The One I Love”: A great song and sung very well. Doesn't do much for the plot, but sounds nice.

“Backwoods Barbie”: Love Megan, but could they have chosen a worse song?

“Dance O’ Death”: Stephanie can DANCE! She looked great.

“Cowgirl’s Revenge”: I love Megan and the jumproping!

“Potion Notion”: Best of the three! I loved Allison and the Snow White motif.

“Heart to Hart”: Could be done without, or replaced with a less showy number considering the act is not over yet.

More to come!

[being.jeremiah]

Posted: 9/18/08 at 10:03pm

I heard that there's explicit language and nudity involved.

Care to explain?

[singingbackup]

Posted: 9/18/08 at 10:11pm

Dolly is on ELLEN on Monday 9/22 and she's FAB! Just adorable.

[Popular]

Posted: 9/18/08 at 10:16pm

... and on The Tonight Show tomorrow! :) And Allison is on Ellen next Tuesday (the day after Dolly)

jeremiah - Nudity? Nah, not really. It's more of a sight gag in the hospital scene where one of the male patients turns around revealing an open hospital gown. That's more or less (depending on where you're sitting) the extent of nudity in the show. I'll have to think more about the language... I can't seem to recall anything more explicit than Hart calling the girls "bitches" several times.

[being.jeremiah]

Posted: 9/18/08 at 10:18pm

Thanks Popular.

An agent "warned" me about it, though I could care less. Thanks thanks.

[Popular]

Posted: 9/18/08 at 10:37pm

There is a comedic undertone throughout all of Hart's scenes though so his sexist, egotistical, bigot routine is just as forgivable as in the movie.

I'm not really phased by bad language so I may just not be remembering. To be honest, Stephanie's smoking shocked me more than anything else... and that I KNEW was coming! So yeah, pretty tame stuff. You'll be fine.