Interview: A Conversation With Stars of MSMT's 9 to 5 THE MUSICAL

“This is going to be a summer of fun with substance,” smiles Jaden Dominque as she describes her new project, Dolly Parton’s 9 to 5 THE MUSICAL, which opens at Maine State Music Theatre on July 19.

“When you really listen to Dolly Parton, there is a lot of substance; everything is a lesson,” adds Lauren Blackman, who co-stars with Dominique and Carolyn Anne Miller as the trio of office women at the core of the story. “I am a believer that if we don’t see things, we don’t learn things.  This musical is showing you the kinds of things we don’t want in the workplace or in our lives anymore.  It is a good reminder of how far we have come, and how far we still need to go.”

MSMT presents 9 to 5 THE MUSICAL for the very first time on its stage with Blackman and Dominque making role debuts as Violet Newstead and Judy Bernly respectively, and both are excited to return to Brunswick. Since she was last here in 2019 as Glinda in THE WIZARD OF OZ, Blackman has been involved with a new Broadway-bound musical, LEMPIKA, played Mrs. Claus in the Radio City Christmas Spectacular, and performed the role of Marian Paroo opposite Hugh Jackman in THE MUSIC MAN on Broadway. Dominique returns for a second season after her stunning debut as Celie in THE COLOR PURPLE in 2022, having performed Dorothy in THE WIZ at the Fulton and New Bedford Festival and graduated from university in the intervening year.

 Asked whether the show [written in 2009, based on the 1980 movie,]  is a period piece or still a very contemporary one, Blackman replies: “A little bit of both. Violet knows what she has to offer and that she belongs there [in her job], and that is part of her frustration. We are still fighting a lot of what you see in the show. In those days your options were so limited [as a woman]; becoming a secretary was your first entry into the business world.”

“I watched my Mom who worked in corporate America,” says Dominique. “It was not so long ago there weren’t spaces for women in these companies.”

Both Blackman and Dominque say there have been women in their own lives whose stories inspired the actresses. In addition to her mother, Dominique says she used an aunt as the basis for her portrayal of Judy. “She had married at nineteen and never lived with anyone except her parents and then her husband. Judy’s sense of stability is gone when her husband leaves her.  She’s never been with just herself; she doesn’t know who she is outside of taking care of the house. It’s all new territory.”

Blackman recalls a brief period when her older sister became a widow and a single mom. “She had no choice but to go to work and raise her kids and do everything herself. Or my Mom who held the family together while my Dad was traveling for work. Violet is a widow and single mom, too; she has to find the strength. She has a monologue at the end where she says it’s the little guy who cooks, cleans, balances the checkbook.”

So what has or has not changed for working women today?   Blackman feels there is more awareness, especially in her theatre profession, of clarity and boundaries in working relationships. “Or in the past, if office jokes went too far, you might be afraid you’d be fired if you spoke up, whereas now I think we can voice discomfort without that fear.”

Still 9 to 5 THE  MUSICAL does have its share of cringeworthy moments when the audience almost reels at comments and behavior considered office norms in the 1970s-1980s when the piece is set.  Both actresses feel that the pervasive humor of the piece helps put the action in perspective. “It helps to handle ugly situations with humor. It may seem weird to find humor in someone else’s discomfort or demise,” observes Blackman, referring to the women’s kidnapping of their boss, but it is more of a fantasy. The dream sequences show a subconscious side of the characters. We are not saying let’s go out and kidnap somebody until we get what we want.  It’s a comedy and you hope no one takes moments like that seriously.”

“That’s the beauty of theatre,” Dominique concurs. “We are able to push the boundaries a little bit farther.”

Blackman and Dominque talk about how their characters bond throughout the course of the show and how, together with Miller as Doralee, the trio of women enjoy a madcap adventure that proves a journey of personal growth for all of them. Dominque describes Judy as “in the beginning not even having the communication skills to say how she is feeling. She is a wreck; she breaks down in tears every time she tries to talk, but she learns from Violet and Doralee to speak up for herself so that when her husband does come back, she won’t let him walk all over her again. She is ready to move on.”

“Violet wants to do the right thing all the time, and she is very frustrated. She tries to pretend she is fine and strong, and she inevitably panics when things spiral out of control.” Of her romance with Joe, Blackman says, “Violet becomes human. Joe presses pause and forces her to give an answer, and she finally admits she’s scared of letting anyone into her life again. They do end up together, but not married; she keeps her independence while keeping her heart open.”

Blackman also notes that Doralee, Hart’s secretary originally played by Dolly Parton in the movie version, becomes an essential part of the trio. “She is always confident; she has it figured out. It’s interesting that [Dolly], the woman the world has turned into a sex symbol, is actually the one who is most sure of herself, most unapologetic.”

Commenting on two of the other women in the show, Blackman says “Roz, has stars in her eyes for Hart. She will do anything for the boss,” and Missy, Hart’s wife finds love in an unexpected dénouement to the show.  But of Franklin Hart, Jr. both Blackman and Dominique are less forgiving. Dominique sees “no redeeming qualities” in the arrogant, narcissistic, sexual bully. “He probably grew up seeing his grandfather, father, uncles all act this way. He probably never had an example of a good man. Even at the end when he is about to get a promotion, he wants to tell on us women. This has always been his way, and that’s how he lives it.”

“We know this man very well,” Blackman asserts. “He is someone very powerful, a chronic narcissist.”

Yet, despite how abhorrent Hart is as a character and how much the office world of 9 to 5 THE MUSICAL seems a dark and dreadful place (until Violet and her cohorts bring some change), the process of rehearsing the show has been nothing but joy, according to Blackman and Dominique. Director/choreographer Kenny Ingram is “a little ball of sunshine,” says Dominique. “He loves to storytell through the movement, and the process is very collaborative.”

“He is such a light man; he is joy embodied,” adds Blackman. 

Both actresses also delight in Dolly Parton’s score, which “combines so many genres- jazz, gospel, country,” according to Dominique.

“And it is a very peppy show which keeps people attentive,” notes Blackman.
 

It’s the pep, the zany, upbeat, forward propulsive nature of the musical that helps deliver its message all the while it offers hilarious entertainment. “What you see in this office is still happening a lot more frequently than we’d like to admit,” says Jaden Dominique. “But by showing the situation with comedy it becomes easier to digest.”

 “I feel as if a show like this can open semi-closed or tired ears,” maintains Lauren Blackman. The themes are very much present; these are things which still happen. The show is about women’s empowerment, about speaking up for yourself and empowering yourself. It is also – especially in the case of Doralee/Dolly - about not judging a book by its cover. Rather, it is about taking yourself to your heights by taking ownership of self.”

 

Photo courtesy of MSMT, Jared Morneau, photographer

9 to 5 THE MUSICAL runs from July 19 – August 5, 2023, at MSMT’s Pickard Theater on the Bowdoin College campus, 1 Bath Rd., Brunswick, ME  207-725-8769  www.msmt.org

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