9 to 5 Preview - Review

[singingbackup]

Posted: 9/10/08 at 12:47pm

Here's what I wrote on another thread:

I was too sleepy to write more or put up with the shenanigans on those threads last night. Here are my first impressions (not review..it's way too soon)

SPOILERS GAYLORE!

First off, Dolly was there and gave a little speech at the onset. Place was fairly crowded and went bonkers. It was so great to see the love for such a talented and sweet lady. Very cool opening "9 to 5" , well staged and cleverly choreographed. Entrance applause everywhere (even for Ann Harada). You can see why they postponed due to technical issues. The sets were pretty amazing, very involved, big set pieces rising up and down out of the floors, and a huge video screen with appropriate images (much like what they did in the revival of H2$).

The 3 leading ladies embodied their characters wonderfully, calling to mind Jane, Lilly and Dolly. Megan especially sounded and bounced around just like Ms. Parton and the audience responded in kind. Stephanie J. Block is really a gifted actress and layered her performance with sympathy and humor. Allison J did a great job for what I believe might be her first singing role on the stage (or at least biggest?). Strong chorus work by all. Musically the show has some wonderful moments, and a few weaker songs, things to be fixed and tightened. I'm not a huge Kudisch fan and thought he was a bit low key and bland, and frankly, not a great singer. Could have had an off night.

Everything went quite well technically until about 5 minutes before the end of the act. They stopped the show and Dolly got back on the mic and told stories and sang a few songs to keep us entertained. THAT WAS A THRILL. The act finally came to an end without further troubles.

OVERALL: People were so into the story, loved hearing their favorite lines from the film come to life and especially how much Hilty was channeling Dolly. Judy (Steph) has the biggest character arc so her journey is the most satisfying to watch. Musically, the tone is a cross between Whorehouse, Scoundrels and traditional Broadway. It's by far not totally country, which is a good thing, as it will have a broader appeal. The story is basically the movie story, so there is no real surprise at the end, and frankly makes for a soft finale. I think a rousing dance number to the title song might give us a bigger lift at the end. I had an enjoyable time and so did the house, very supportive and encouraging. I hope that Kudisch punches it up more, sells his songs more and they tighten up the book a bit. At it's core, "9 to 5" has a sweetness and heart that is perfectly Parton.

[TheatreDiva90016]

Posted: 9/10/08 at 1:44pm

It was great meeting you and your bf. I'm sorry I didn't see you afterwards. I got swept up with folks I knew and went right backstage to say hi to everyone.

Your review was spot on. I had a great time and the audience did as well. The set pieces were amazing and I can see how if one little thing goes wrong, it would just be a train wreck on stage. Very tight staging in the scene shifts.

Too bad I had a guy sitting next to me who:
A: Never saw the movie.
and B: Made some remark at the end about, "Why'd they have to throw in that joke about George Bush" (which got a HUGE laugh and applause). I looked at him and said, "Because George Bush IS a joke. You must have voted for him."

[TheatreDiva90016]

Posted: 9/10/08 at 1:50pm

Oh, and Kathy Fitzgerald (Of Producers fame) was spot on as Violet. They even managed to make her look frumpy!

She was fantastic!

[Popular]

Posted: 9/10/08 at 1:51pm

Thanks for starting another review thread. The other one was out of control! I'll eventually add in my thoughts on the show. Gotta get back to work.

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 9/10/08 at 1:54pm

TheatreDiva, I think you got a typo, Fitzgerald is playing Roz, Allison Janney is playing Violet :)

[obsessedjb]

Posted: 9/10/08 at 1:58pm

Can someone who is going to see the show sometime soon PM me? I have a tiny favor to ask.

[FallintoLight]

Posted: 9/10/08 at 2:04pm

I'm flying out to LA to visit my family and to go see the show in Oct! I'm so glad to hear that it got a great reception last night! I'm really looking forward to it:)

[broadwayfan7]

Posted: 9/10/08 at 2:23pm

Glad you had a nice time!

[TheatreDiva90016]

Posted: 9/10/08 at 3:20pm

You are right, I did get the names mixed up.


But they were all great.


There was even a line that Steph had that got a HUGE laugh. It was almost a direct quote from Wicked and I don't want to mess it up, so if anyone elese remembers what the line was, share!

[DefyGravity777]

Posted: 9/10/08 at 3:28pm

^ No good deed goes unpunished.

Updated On: 9/10/08 at 03:28 PM

[Anakela]

Posted: 9/10/08 at 3:29pm

There was even a line that Steph had that got a HUGE laugh. It was almost a direct quote from Wicked and I don't want to mess it up, so if anyone elese remembers what the line was, share!

Apparently from what other recaps have said, SJB has a song that has the line "no good deed goes unpunished" in it. I don't know that I would call that a quote from Wicked, though.

[doodlenyc]

Posted: 9/10/08 at 4:00pm

No good deed goes unpunished was a saying long before Wicked.

[LePetiteFromage]

Posted: 9/10/08 at 4:18pm

Updated On: 5/1/09 at 04:18 PM

[bardolator]

Posted: 9/10/08 at 4:19pm

From what I heard in the demo, I really wish Ms. Parton would add a bridge to "Get Out and Stay Out"--it seemed kind of repetitive to me. Maybe that's because she was speak-singing it? Would you say that's a fair assessment of the song as you heard it last night? I got the sense that that song and Roz's would be standouts for sure.

Thanks so much for the report! :)

[jacobsnchz14]

Posted: 9/10/08 at 4:57pm

Anything on Andy Karl?

[it'sjustshowbiz]

Posted: 9/10/08 at 5:09pm

^

He was likable. The role wasn't very big, but he was effective in it.

[taylorPHENOMENON2]

Posted: 9/10/08 at 5:28pm

Thanks for the review. I really can't wait to see this!

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 9/10/08 at 5:40pm

Ryan O'Connor talks about it in today's vlog: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpD03RVJ-ww

[DefyGravity777]

Posted: 9/10/08 at 5:41pm

I know it was a saying way before Wicked but people will make that connection as soon as they hear Steph sing that. Or Gaelen for that matter if she is on as an u/s for Steph since she was in Wicked also.

[Popular]

Posted: 9/10/08 at 5:45pm

I guess I’m ready to add in some thoughts on last night.

Dolly was there, of course, and she introduced her show. Someone yelled out, “I love you, Dolly!” and without hesitation she came back with a, “I thought I told you to stay in the truck!” Gotta love her :)

For those who care about the show curtain, it’s just orange with a blue trim around it. When the curtain rises it ALMOST looks like the beginning of HAIRSPRAY with the person in a bed and on the projection screen behind are a bunch of alarm clocks. The title song starts and it’s a huge production number of people getting ready for work. From the very start it’s clear that the technical aspects of the show are as complex as they have been claiming.

As a few people mentioned in the deleted thread, the show really picks up speed after Backwards Barbie. I would have to agree with that.

I thought Marc did an excellent job at playing the slimy boss! I was sitting in the 2nd row and was able to see facial expressions and also hear him throughout his mic troubles so those who couldn’t see him or hear him may have a different opinion as a lot of his work was very subtle and the Ahmanson is large. His song, “Here For You”, sets up his character well but I'm not sure how I feel about yet. Something felt like it could be improved on (maybe the song itself, the pace of it, or the transitions in and out of it… I'm not sure)

I'll edit this later to add on, I only had a few moments to pop in and post.

...cont'd

Stephanie's first number is "Out Of Control" which is the musical version of the copy machine scene. (Most of the show is very true to the movie and you wont be disappointed if you are waiting to hear classic lines or scenes... in fact, Megan's "I've got a gun in my purse" line as well as a few other lines were hardly heard over the cheers) Anyway, during "Out Of Control" it's just her and a huge copy machine center stage (which looks a little empty after everything that has just happened before and after)... but a hilarious number nonetheless, the classic reference point for the audience to see her character grow from. I thought she did an awesome job negotiating the timing of the paper and singing a really fast song - so funny!

"Tattletales" introduces Judy to the world of office gossip. I really liked this song a lot. I would've wanted to see Megan's character more involved with this song to get a sense of how much the office gossips hurts her, and then lead into "Backwards Barbie" instead of having "The One I Love" inbetween. "The One I Love" give us a little more backstory on each girl and is also the garage scene where Violet's son slips the pot into her purse.

"Backwards Barbie"... I have to say that Megan is working the skinny waist/big chest look! She looks great...from the accent to the mannerisms, she really has her character down well! I don't know why I pictured her singing this song to herself but she is actually singing this song to Judy which leads to the the only time I truly felt bad for Doralee. She is spilling her heart out to Judy, and you can tell that Judy really wants to include her but instead ends up taking her lunch at a table reserved for two with Violet.

Now it really picks up... Doralee finds out why everyone hates her and once she clears things up it's off to smoke a little somethin' with the girls. HILARIOUS scene. I almost don't want to give away the fantasy sequences - let's just say that Steph gets dirty while being fancy, Megan twirls a rope, and Allison rising up from the stage in the Snow White-like costume got one of the bigger reactions. God bless Marc for going through what he does during all that!

I'm off to bed. More later

================================================================

OK, so moving right along (sorry for these breaks, I've been super busy this week!)...

"Heart to Hart" is Roz singing about her longing for Mr. Hart. Kathy does a great job! I LOVED the staging of this show - maybe someone else knows the technical terminology to describe it better than I. There are lights, scrims, just an awesome song visually as well as a fun development to Roz's character beyond what we get in the movie. As in the movie, Roz and Hart plot to trick the girls into thinking Hart has been poisoned.

"I Killed the Boss" is the panic scene in the hospital. I think this went over my head at the time but Margaret makes a little comedic cameo in the hospital going across the stage hooked up to an IV (right?)I thought it seemed a little rushed but maybe I just had the whole scene with the car in my mind, and that doesn't happen... the whole reveal of it not being him on the gurney happens at the hospital.

This is when the tech issue happened but I think there has been enough talk about that so I'll skip to "Shine Like The Sun". Yes, this is the song where Steph has the "No Good Deed Goes Unpunished" lyric that got a lot of laughs. Supposedly it was written before casting was complete (not sure), but c'mon, it IS kind of funny... Dolly and Mantello know what they are doing! They reclaim their power over Hart and they do a really good job recreating the whole contraption over the bed that they hang him in. GREAT number to end the first act with!

Allison has her big number, "One of the Boys", in Act II where she fantasizes about being the CEO. I know I haven't written much about her up till now. I'm trying to be really careful how I word this because it was only the first performance (and I LOVE her) but she is overshadowed by the power singers during the musical numbers. This number is very good (I think I read someone describe it as being a little 'CHICAGO'- chorus boys, walking on top of tables, mid song costume change) but it could be AMAZING with some big money notes at the end which I hope she works into being able to deliver once she's settled into the show. Her comic timing throughout will win over the audience regardless and she will do Lily Tomlin proud when she sees the show.

I'm going to skip through "5 to 9" and "Willin'/Well Oiled Machine" as I don't have a strong opinion one way or another with those songs(plus I'm fading again so I'm trying to wrap it up here lol). "Mundania" is sung while Hart's hanging. I get why because we need to at some point see his struggle with being kept prisoner in his own home but I wouldn't be surprised if they rework it a little. One song going back and forth of seeing the office changing while Hart is suffering might work just as well, if not better.

"Get Out and Stay Out" is Steph's big song that she sings to her ex husband Dick as he tries to crawl back into her life... the "I'm in Control now" answer to her first song in the copy room. The belter belts, Steph is back to playing that empowered, strong willed and independent woman we all know her for playing, and she does it gloriously. You'll get your money notes here!

"Let Love Grow" is the duet between Violet and Andy Karl's character, Joe, when she finally gives in to his advances. They give Violet a love interest but don't do much with him... we'll see if this changes during previews or not.

It wraps up pretty quickly. Hart being sent away and Violet being promoted had the same rushed feeling for me that the hospital scene had (but I guess it was very quick in the movie too, right?) ...leading to a very high energy finale that is perfect for sending the audience out clapping and smiling.

Sorry this review came in snippets, hopefully it was worth the wait.
Updated On: 9/12/08 at 05:45 PM

[TheatreDiva90016]

Posted: 9/10/08 at 6:17pm

"No good deed goes unpunished was a saying long before Wicked."

Yes, I know that, it's just the audience obviously got the reference to Wicked because it got a huge laugh.

And yes, Marc was having mic issues last night, but I could still hear him from where I was at.

[UKtheatrekid]

Posted: 9/10/08 at 6:19pm

this might be a stupid question
and i apologise if so
but im flying to LA in october on a tour of my own
but we dont fly til the 24th (when the show closes)
and seeing as the opening previews were delayed
is there any possibility of an extension (sp)
any info would be great
thanks
x

[TheatreDiva90016]

Posted: 9/10/08 at 7:46pm

Contact the Ahmanson Theatre. They would be the ones who could answer that for you.

[cdawg2]

Posted: 9/10/08 at 10:04pm

Awesome. I get to see the show on Sat.

For those who have seen a show there---where is the stage door located? We thought we'd try our luck.

[TheatreDiva90016]

Posted: 9/10/08 at 11:05pm

When you exit the theatre, stay to the left. If you are in the Orch, you just head out the side doors, but if you go out the front glas doors, head to your left and go around the building. There will be stairs leading down to the door and people around so you can find it.

I believe it's the South East corner of the building, but I could be wrong.