Princeton does Manhattan-Reviews of 9 to 5, Hair and South Pacific

[Princeton78]

Posted: 7/20/09 at 7:25am

Hello kiddies,
I was lucky enough to be in NYC for this most recent, glorious weekend, and was fortunate enough to see 3 shows, and I thought I'd share my reviews. It might take a day or so to get all my thoughts out, but I just finished writing my review of 9 to 5, so here goes......

9 TO 5: THE MUSICAL
i love Dolly Parton. I'll get that out of the way first. I know many critics, and many on this board thought otherwise, but I found this to be a fantastic evening at the theatre. I was thoroughly entertained from beginning to end. My sides hurt from laughing by the time I got out of the Marquis. Sets, costumes, lighting were all top notch. Dolly's score is surprisingly good and there are several songs here that could and should get some decent airplay. The ensemble works hard and the orchestra sounds fantastic. Marc Kudisch is a national treasure and is so good at everything he does. By now, he should have several Tonys lining his mantle, and it's a crime that he doesn't. He does not disappoint here. He manages to be evil, hilarious, and dead sexy at the same time. Megan Hilty does a dead-on Dolly Parton accent and is endearing from start to finish. Stephanie J. Block acts and sings with restraint for most of the performance, until she unleashes what she has inside her for "Get Out and Stay Out," which is the best new number in the show, and with it, Block stops the show cold. The star of the show however, is Allison Janey, who, while not being a trained singer, never hits a sour note, and sings (with gusto), what she's been given to sing. She gives 120%, is hilarious, and fully deserved her Tony nomination. I hope that after this, she comes back to Broadway soon.
In the end, "9 to 5" is no "Hello Dolly" or "Carousel," but everyone involved is working like a dog to keep the audience entertained, and in my opinion, they succeed.

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 7/20/09 at 7:59am

Glad that you liked the show, but can't figure out why you, and so many others, think that Hilty's copying Parton's every move is such a good thing.

[legally_popular]

Posted: 7/20/09 at 8:26am

Thank you for your review! I too hope that after 9 to 5 Allison Janney returns to Broadway. I'm glad you enjoyed 9 to 5 and I'll look forward to reading your other reviews.

[bjh2114]

Posted: 7/20/09 at 9:43am

I disagree that Megan is just doing a Dolly Parton impression. I think that saying that is a disservice to her immense talent. Her singing voice sounds nothing like Dolly's. She manages to channel the classic character from the movie without being a carbon copy, which is a very tough feat in my mind. I think that she is giving a stellar performance (probably my favorite one in the show).

[Princeton78]

Posted: 7/20/09 at 9:45am

"Glad that you liked the show, but can't figure out why you, and so many others, think that Hilty's copying Parton's every move is such a good thing."

I don't. If you notice, I say the least about Hilty in my review. For me, she was the weakest link in the cast, doing nothing more than an impression of Parton. She was fine. She looked good, sounded, good, sounded like Parton, but failed to make the impression that Kudisch, Block and Janney made. I don't know however if this is her fault. It may have been a no-win situation for her. By copying Parton, she's unoriginal. If she had been more original, people would have complained that she wasn't more like Dolly.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 7/20/09 at 9:58am

The same people think that copying Mike Myers has made Brian d'arcy James turn in an amazing performance as well.


BUT.....I know when my students can get thier hands of video of a role in which they have been cast, they think they are doing the "right" thing by trying to copy it. Aggravating, actually.

Updated On: 7/20/09 at 09:58 AM

[CSonBroadway]

Posted: 7/20/09 at 11:00am

I think Megan's acting was very good too. Even if it is a campy musical, I actually felt for Megan's character when nobody would give her the time of day.

How crowded was the theatre?

[Princeton78]

Posted: 7/20/09 at 1:16pm

Sadly, I'd say that on a Friday night, the mezz was only 1/3 full and the back 4 rows of the orchestra were empty.

[Eris0303]

Posted: 7/20/09 at 1:18pm

I'm looking forward to your SP review. I was so moved by it I was in tears through most of the show, the cabride back to Penn Station and the train ride home.

[Alberto2]

Posted: 7/23/09 at 5:53pm

Being a huge fan of the original movie, I was beyond ecstatic when I heard that they were bringing it to Broadway and they definitely brought it in a diverse way. Like the film, the musical is set in 1979 and it is an all out comedy, Judy (Block), Doralee (Hilty) and Violet (Janney), the three office workers who were "just a step on the boss man?s ladder," in my opinion came to life on Broadway. Though not a particularly challenging story, ?9 to 5? is an uplifting tale of ?girl-power? and ultimately women's rights. But due to its cheery, happy-ending nature, it translates pretty effectively to the stage and the show is as over the top as you would expect from a theatre extravaganza with Parton at the helm.
For what it's worth, ?9 to 5? is an enjoyable musical theatre experience. This isn't a Broadway ground-breaker by any means, but it is a fun and a happy-go-lucky feel-good musical, I'll be the first to admit that my primary reason for seeing this Musical was for Allison Janney (Violet). Janney, by the way, is utterly hilarious both because she's an incredible actor (most people know her from "The West Wing," but she was Juno's mother in the movie ?Juno? and also the guidance counselor-cum-erotica author in "10 Things I Hate About You") but also because her singing is...a bit weak, nevertheless her comedic timing and Dolly Parton?s songwriting abilities, she pulls it off beautifully. I recommend this Musical to anyone who ever wanted to get even with the boss and for the most part do not care about the dire consequences. You won't enjoy yourself if you give it too much thought. LOL