Megan Hilty shines in 9 to 5 (review- 4/18 8 PM)

[adamgreer]

Posted: 4/19/09 at 12:39am

I saw the show tonight, and had pretty high expectations given the caliber of A-list talent involved in all facets of this production. Sadly, they weren't met, with the exception of the radiant Megan Hilty, who picked up this show and stole it away. Every scene she was in, every song she sang, the energy in the place went up by leaps and bounds. She had more stage presence than anyone else on the stage, and she got laughter out of most of her lines, even the cheesier ones. She managed to do more than just impersonate Parton all night. It was thrilling to witness such a marvelous, show-stealing performance from a young actress, who 3 years ago was standing by for the role of Glinda in Wicked.

Unfortunately, much of the rest of the show does not match or even approach her, save for Kathy Fitzgerald, who steals a couple of scenes. Andy Karl, immensely talented, is completely wasted, in a role that need not even exist. What purpose is there for having a young accountant in this show? To show that not all men in the workplace are sexist like Mr. Hart? The one number they give him to sing is a complete throwaway.

Kudisch does well enough, but he doesn't get much of an arc. He's an *ss when the show begins, and remains one at the end. He would have done better had they given him a better number and more to do in Act 2.

Block, who graced us with her presence this evening, is a complete non-entity. She has a lovely voice, but by the time she gets around to Get Out and Stay Out, it's too little, too late. Not much presence at all, and unable to make much of an impact. Her performance barely registers.

Allison Janney is an actress that I adore. I thought her work as CJ on The West Wing was some of the finest acting in the history of television, and she won 4 Emmys for it, so she's quite an acclaimed actress. I wanted desperately to love her in this show, and for the most part, I enjoyed her a great deal. She acquits herself quite well onstage, her book scenes are hilarious, and she's clearly having a blast. Her timing is pretty impeccable. Unfortunately, her singing is barely even passable. She manages to carry a tune, but that's about it. Her big number, at the top of Act 2, fails to take off, because she can't belt it to the rafters. How she is even being talked about as competition for Alice Ripley is beyond me.

Beyond the performances, the rest of the show is just a mess. The score is serviceable, but there's really all that memorable, save for the title song, which of course isn't new. The projections are a complete waste of time, and do nothing to enhance the show. The rest of the set, however, is quite good. Blankenbuelher's choreography is nothing to write home about. The dance numbers could and should sizzle, but it just sits there, waiting to take off. It never gets the chance. The pacing in act 2 needs a LOT of work.

The show itself is mildly entertaining, but I left with a big feeling of, "so what?" It's just not all that great, certainly not the way some people on here are saying it is. I'm unsure why this is even being discussed as a potential winner of any awards this year. It's not in the same league as Billy Elliot or Next to Normal.
Updated On: 4/19/09 at 12:39 AM

[ljay889]

Posted: 4/19/09 at 12:41am

Thanks for your input. I want to see this before the Tonys.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 4/19/09 at 12:45am

I was there tonight as well!

Block and Hilty have gotten so much better; so much so that they almost eclipse Janney now. The show flew by; they really have the pacing and everything down to a "T" IMO.

Still the same problems I had with it before; weak book, good score with a few duds. The cast makes this one come to life. Noticed a few VERY minor line alterations.

I agree though, it's nowhere near as good as N2N or BILLY.

It's still lots of fun.

PS: They need to crank up the A.C. in the Marquis. It was hot as hell.
Updated On: 4/19/09 at 12:45 AM

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 4/19/09 at 12:47am

And I totally agree about Karl. He's fine and it's nice to see him get a role where he can show his talent but, like I said in my review of the first preview, they should have cut the romance between him and Janney in workshops. It's forced, rushed, and totally not believable. And Janney and Karl have zero romantic chemistry onstage.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 4/19/09 at 12:49am

Yes! It was dreadfully hot in there tonight. We asked the house manager about it at intermission, who told us that the HVAC system broke down this afternoon, and only went back on 40 minutes before the show. He told us then that "the temperature dropped 5 degrees in the back of the orchestra." Seeing as how we were sitting in Row M, right smack in the middle, this didn't help us much. Many people were complaining about it, and someone asked him to leave the doors open at the back of the theater, to at least get some air. His response was, "then you all will just complain about the noise." Not a very helpful individual.

I couldn't even imagine what it must have been like for the actors up onstage.

Updated On: 4/19/09 at 12:49 AM

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 4/19/09 at 12:51am

I was in Row M too! Haha!

And I thought the same thing about the actors. By the end of the first act, I was melting. I could only imagine how it was for them under the lights.

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 4/19/09 at 12:52am

You'll take any opportunity to bash Block, won't you?

She is truly outstanding in this show, and was the best Elphaba I've ever seen!

[Anakela]

Posted: 4/19/09 at 12:54am

...who told us that the HVAC system broke down this afternoon, and only went back on 40 minutes before the show.

curious, considering that it was hot as hell in that theatre on Friday night too.

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 4/19/09 at 12:54am

Hilty is perfection.
But Block topped her for me with
GET OUT AND STAY OUT.
And I guess I am in the minority but I liked Karl and Janney's song. In a hectic fast paced show it's a nice simple moment and moved me.

[doubleentendre]

Posted: 4/19/09 at 1:11am

I completely agree with you. I was starting to worry I was the only one who was underwhelmed by Block. I love her, and think she's fantastic in everything else....but I feel like something about this role just isn't right for her. She sounds great...but looks all wrong and seems just lost (acting wise) the entire time. I get that Judy is supposed to be like that...but it's almost like it's not the character.

I think a second viewing is necessary.

[givesmevoice]

Posted: 4/19/09 at 1:19am

I was there tonight too! I adored Megan Hilty and...maybe I was at a different show? but Allison Janney's singing was far better than I had expected. I'd also never seen Stephanie Block in anything, and I really liked her. there's something off about Judy's characterization, I think, but I think SJB has a stunning voice.

[also, I'm apparently not a very tough critic.]

and as for the HVAC, when I felt it get a little cooler, I decided it was from everyone around me fanning themselves with their Playbill.

[bundy5000]

Posted: 4/19/09 at 1:24am

It did not live up to the hype for me. But regardless of hype, I liked it in general. It is definitely pleasing to the eye and has a lot of tourist attractiveness to it. It has the razzle dazzle but lacks with the pizazz in the end.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 4/19/09 at 1:50am

Side note: at shows like 9 TO 5 which are destined to be tourist traps, they NEED to implement a pre-show cell-phone announcement. Two couples sat in front of me with their phones out texting throughout the entire second act.
It was extremely rude and distracting. And it should be said that phones need to be turned OFF not just put on 'silent' or 'vibrate' because people still take them out during the show. Just so rude...to not only the audience members around them but to the performers as well.

[givesmevoice]

Posted: 4/19/09 at 2:02am

I'm always a little surprised when shows don't have a pre-show cell phone announcement. although, I also saw the matinee of Exit the King, which has a great pre-show cell phone/texting "announcement".

[californiasnow]

Posted: 4/19/09 at 2:03am

It seems like this show will do well with the tourist crowd, because the movie is very recognizable to a lot of people. One thing that was interesting the 2 times I saw the show in LA was that many people were frustrated when they leared Dolly Parton was not actually appearing in the show (I don't know about the Broadway production, but Dolly's likeness was featured on a lot of the print advertising out here).

From some of the comments I've read, it seems like some of the problems that existed in LA are still there. It seemed like nothing happened in the second act, and I too thought the Andy Karl character was completely pointless. One song I was sorry to hear that was cut was The One I Love (or I think that was the name, don't have my program handy). It was a nice moment for all the women and the men in their lives, and it was one of the songs I found myself humming after the show was over. I thought all the ladies were good, but Stephanie was my favorite. I had seen her before and enjoyed her in the Pirate Queen, and I thought she did excellent work as Judy Bernly. Get Out and Stay Out was definitely the high point of the show for me.

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 4/19/09 at 3:11am

I agree totally with what you said except about Block. She was the stand-out for me. Hilty was great, but her character wasn't developed much. She's a "southern gal" who loves her husband. That's about it. Not much else there. Block's character had an obstacle to overcome, and she did it. And I thought she was great. She's my pick for Best Featured Actress.

[broadwayrocks2]

Posted: 4/19/09 at 10:20am

Damn I saw the same show !Thought it was outstanding !Stephanie got some huge laughs in the living room /pot scene. Alison's One off the boys is an outstanding number done woderfully by her !SO i ask what show were you watching ?? You are right about Megan ! She was great !

[WishingOnlyWounds2]

Posted: 4/19/09 at 11:04am

How was the view from Row M? I'm sitting there this coming Saturday.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 4/19/09 at 11:17am

I guess the facility fee does not go toward normal upkeep of the A/C. Maybe it will be fixed by next weekend when we see it.

[Bwayfan39]

Posted: 4/19/09 at 11:26am

I, also, saw the show this weekend. I totally disliked Stephanie J Block, and felt that the only time she was outstanding was at the end of Get Out and Stay Out. Megan Hilty was phenominal, but sometimes a little hard to understand when she was singing. I will have to disagree with what is being said about Allison Janney-she was so much better than I thought she would be. I expected her voice to be aboslutley terrible, and it wsas fine for the part, and almost every joke of hers landed perfectly. The coreography was good, I really enjoyed bits and pieces of it, but it felt disconected and inomplete. Fot the most part, I loved Dolly's music.

The real standout, for me, the thing I liked more than anything as Kathy Fizgerald (sp). I thought she stole the entire first act with her song, which was hysterically funny.

[scaryclowns2232]

Posted: 4/19/09 at 11:33am

And you know, its interesting- I thought Janney was the strongest of three, by far.

[popular_elphie]

Posted: 4/19/09 at 12:01pm

I was there last night as well! :)

I thought the show was cute for what it was. The dancing is absolutely phenomenal, and Megan Hilty stood out as the best for me. However, while everyone clapped when she came out for how much she sounded like Dolly, her "dream" to be a country western singer came out of left field. She never said anything about singing, just to be taken for more than her looks. They should touch on that in her show. Also, though "Backwoods Barbie" is a great song, the slower tune slows down the show. I liked the other two leads as well, but Allison's relationship with Andy Karl was weird and forced, and I wish Van Hughes had more to do! My friends and I left singing "Shine Like the Sun". The music is pretty decent, and some songs are really catchy.

Overall, I really liked it.

[broadwayfan7]

Posted: 4/19/09 at 4:51pm

I really want to see this show this summer!

[thesondhead]

Posted: 4/19/09 at 7:01pm

Can someone post a song list? I want to see what was cut/altered from when it was in LA.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 4/19/09 at 7:21pm

Great view from Row M, WishingOnlyWounds. I sat in the Mezzanine; Row E for the first preview and Row M in the Orch last night and both were really wonderful seats.

SONG LIST:

-ACT ONE-
"9 to 5"---Violet, Doralee, Dwayne, Judy, and Ensemble
"Around Here"---Violet and Ensemble
"Here for You"---Hart
"I Just Might"---Judy, Doralee, Violet
"Backwoods Barbie"---Doralee
"The Dance of Death"---Judy, Hart, and Ensemble
"Cowgirl's Revenge"---Doralee, Hart, and Ensemble
"Potion Notion"---Violet, Hart, and Ensemble
"Joy to the Girls"---Judy, Doralee, Violet, Hart, and Ensemble
"Heart to Hart"---Roz and Ensemble
"Shine Like the Sun"---Doralee, Judy, Violet

-ACT TWO-
Entr'acte---Orchestra
"One of the Boys"---Violet and Boys
"5 to 9"---Roz
"Always a Woman"---Hart and Men's Ensemble
"Change It"---Doralee, Judy, Violet, and Ensemble
"Let Love Grow"---Joe, Violet
"Get Out and Stay Out"---Judy
Finale: "9 to 5"--The Company