'9 to 5' National Tour: A Well-Earned 7

In the musical theatre cannon of the last century, protagonists have had the likes of Celeste Holm, the Blue Fairy, and Arvide Abernathy watching over as ever-present, ever-watchful godparents. Well, thanks to Benjamin Pearcy's bubbly projection design in the national tour of 9 to 5: The Musical, Miss Dolly Parton can be added to the list.

With Southern charm and a touch of 1970's film nostalgia working in her favor, a pre-recorded Dolly introduces audiences to the ins and outs of her and Patricia Resnick's musicalization of the 1980 film (also penned by Resnick). It's a cute effect which doesn't hit too hard. An effect which bleeds into a thoroughly campy evening of harmless fun and 15 original toe-tapping ditties supplied by Miss Parton herself.

With a slighted dated and often off-the-wall tale of three take-no-crap women who kidnap their chauvinistic boss (Joseph Mahowald), Diana DeGarmo (Doralee), Mamie Parris (Judy), and Dee Hoty (Violet) take on their roles with little irony and strong control. DeGarmo, in the big-shoes-to-fill Parton role, masters her Dolly voice and mannerisms to an eerie T, but offers little originality in terms of interpreting the misunderstood busty Texan. Hoty (whose powerhouse Donna Sheridan I still hear resonating the Palace Theatre in Mamma Mia! in 2003) isn't given the best number ("One of the Boys" historically sounds and looks like too many other numbers before it - "Roxie" quickly comes to mind), but her acting chops make Violet a warm yet focused leader. You can tell the Broadway role was written for Allison Janney, whose acting skills trump her singing. And then there's Ms. Parris, whose comically charged Judy is a tad caricaturly flitty, but her 11-o'clock rendition of Judy's "Get Out and Stay Out" (the show's strongest number) is worth the price of admission alone.

I could do without the ladies' trip to the hospital and it's outlandish to believe someone would be tied up and kidnapped for a whole month without any repercussions, but Resnick & director Jeff Calhoun don't let the actors do too much winking, so the fun outweighs the weird. Parton's score lacks a certain twang one would expect from the famed songwriter, but short of one or two generic ballads, Dolly delivers a respectable Broadway debut.

The tour's minimalist design (now designed by Kenneth Foy) does make for some odd disconnected "what just happened?" moments (especially during the ladies' pot-addled dream sequence) but Foy, lighting designer Ken Billington, and ever-imaginative costume designer William Ivey Long manage to make the stage pop with color and camp. Director and choreographer Calhoun (taking the Broadway reigns from Joe Mantello and Andy Blankenbuehler, respectively) successfully fills the set-less stage space with clever office bits with the ensemble, as well as focuses on individual relationships. Even secondary characters like brown-noser Roz and office lush Margaret (stellar scene-stealers Kristine Zbornik and Jane Blass) stand out as real people and not simply foils - though Blass verges on cartoony at her most inebriated.

9 to 5 is nowhere near a perfect show (the poison bit? no thanks. Dick, Josh, and Dwayne's subplots? where'd you go?), but for a strong dose of women power, this tour is a sure bet. Peppered in between bits of line-for-line movie rehashing is a smattering unannoying 70's callbacks, strong vocals (Parris, Hoty, and DeGarmo particularly shine in "I Might Be"), and colorfully cute fun. Dolly done good.

9 to 5: The Musical is playing at Bank of America Theatre for a limited two week engagement, Jan. 18 - 30, 2011.  Tickets are available at all Broadway In Chicago Box Offices, the Broadway In Chicago Ticket Kiosk at Water Tower Place, the Broadway In Chicago Ticket Line at (800) 775-2000, all Ticketmaster retail locations, and online at www.BroadwayInChicago.com.

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