9 to 5 broadway compared to tour

[anewlife2011]

Posted: 6/6/13 at 2:23am

Im going to see a production of it in a few weeks, and my friend who is in it told me tonight that it is very different from the broadway version and it is pretty much the tour version. Can someone please shed some detailed light on what I can expect....

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 6/6/13 at 2:40am

The tour had a different set design. It was a lot simpler than the Broadwaybset design which was very intricate and high tech. Also, the tour had Dolly Parton projected onto a screen at the beginning and end of the show. She served as the narrator.

[Tag]

Posted: 6/6/13 at 2:46am

The tour/current licensed version cuts 'Always A Woman'.

The Dolly Parton projection/voice-over is licensed with the show. She introduces the 3 leads during the opening '9 to 5' and concludes the show by singing along with the cast.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 6/6/13 at 2:14pm

That seems stupid. Did Mantello direct the tour as well?

[Tag]

Posted: 6/6/13 at 3:21pm

The Dolly interjections are actually quite fitting. They are a fun element.

The tour was directed and choreographed by Jeff Calhoun.

Posted: 6/6/13 at 3:26pm

Ugh... Jeff Calhoun

[RippedMan]

Posted: 6/6/13 at 5:22pm

Exactly. Now I know why it sucked: Calhoun.

[dreamcoat12]

Posted: 6/7/13 at 1:33pm

They also made a few unnoticeable cuts to the book to make it a little shorter. And "Heart To Hart" takes place in Hart's Office now rather then in the bathroom.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 6/7/13 at 8:18pm

How people hated that score, and yet Lauper's score is heralded as a front-runner I'll never know.

[ABB2357]

Posted: 6/7/13 at 8:36pm

Agree with RippedMan. Parton's score is far from great but it has more memorable numbers than KINKY BOOTS.

The tour was scaled down considerably, although I preferred it to the original production (which I saw during the LA tryout). All the design elements were overdone and laborious - waiting for the set to creak into place padded an already slow evening. The Dolly projections in the tour were cheesy but allowed the show to get underway more quickly, and I'll take Calhoun's choreography over Andy Blankenbuehler's "pop and lock" nonsense any day. He's a one trick pony if ever I've seen one.

[broadwaybabe1234]

Posted: 6/7/13 at 9:34pm

i loved the broadway show and found the tour to be a cut down mess. Too bad! Broadway was so good!

[sally1112]

Posted: 6/7/13 at 9:51pm

I listen to the OBC all the time, I just introduced a friend to it recently when saw a regional production together. He asked me why it didn't play longer as he really liked the score. I saw the Broadway production and loved it!

[anewlife2011]

Posted: 6/7/13 at 10:08pm

sally where did you go see it? Im going to go see Cumberland County Playhouse Production next weekend, in TN. I can't wait to see their production I love everything they do.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 6/7/13 at 11:01pm

ABB - Totally agree re: the choreography

[Brave Sir Robin2]

Posted: 6/7/13 at 11:23pm

I saw it at the Ahmanson and thought it was great! A solid score, good use of LED screens (the rest of the set was dazzling but it could be scaled down) and great performances by all three ladies.

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 6/7/13 at 11:27pm

I thought it was great on Broadway. I enjoyed it thoroughly and so did the crowd. I am not sure why it tanked. I mean, there really is no predicting what people take to and what they do not. I see Kinky and 9 to 5 on similar ground.

From what I understand the tour revisions did the show no favors. My sister saw the tour and hated the Dolly stuff. She said it made it seem like a cheesy Dollywood show rather than a musical. It really pimped the Dolly angle.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 6/7/13 at 11:31pm

I think the shows are similar, but A) Kinky Boots is an obscure movie no one in the states saw. B) Lauper is known for catchy pop music where as Parton writes good country songs. I don't think country is as popular in the rest of the world as pop music is, so therefore, it's a harder sell. Also, 9 to 5 was just a bigger show and more expensive to run. And it lacked the "fun" that Kinky Boots has.

[ABB2357]

Posted: 6/7/13 at 11:41pm

Exactly. I'm sure most of the KINKY BOOTS audience hasn't even seen the film, whereas 9 TO 5 is a huge title. It didn't help that Patricia Resnick copy-and-pasted her screenplay to the stage, so there was no reason to pay over $100 to see the same story again with a problematic score, a lumbering set, and no Dolly (in person at least).

[RippedMan]

Posted: 6/7/13 at 11:44pm

True, and I just don't think the movie translated to stage like it should have. You had Megan Hilty who was fine but she basically was just ripping off Parton. And the whole "getting high" scene just didn't quite work for me. It just made the whole show stop in place. I think the story is great, but something about it just wasn't compelling as a musical.