Review: 9 TO 5: THE MUSICAL from Showtunes

Dear Readers, if you've ever been to a Showtunes show, you know the amount of joy and fun that floods off the stage from those insanely talented performers. And their current production of "9 to 5: The Musical" is no exception. And if you haven't been to a Showtunes show, let me see if I can explain fun to you. Hopefully this won't come across as mansplaining but more musical-theater-geek-splaining.

In their own words they "formed SHOWTUNES in 1999 to create concert performances of the many unsung gems of the American musical theater." But what that doesn't tell you is the love and devotion the folks at Showtunes have for musical theater and that comes across in their concerts, by gathering some of the best talent Seattle has to offer who also obviously share that love. You can just tell by watching them perform, and that love and joy is infectious to their audiences.

But what of the fun from their current show, "9 to 5"? If you're unfamiliar with the classic comedy movie from 1980, it's the tale of three women, Violet, Judy, and Doralee (Be Russell, Sarah Russell, and Naomi Morgan) who are fed up being overlooked and treated badly by their sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical, bigot of a boss, Franklin Hart (Matt Posner). So, after some hilarious circumstances and hijinks, they end up kidnapping him and, in his absence from work, they begin instituting forward thinking changes to help their fellow co-workers. But can they defeat him completely before he escapes?

The original movie starred a young country western singer in the role of Doralee. You may have heard of her, Dolly Parton. Well, 28 years after the film, Parton along with one of the original screenwriters, Patricia Resnick, turned this classic into a Broadway musical that, of course, still featured Parton's hit song "9 to 5" along with all new songs written by her. The show made a minor splash, only lasting 6 months on Broadway, despite being a good time with some catchy tunes. Not great tunes but catchy. But certainly ripe for the mandate of showtunes to bring this unsung gem back to audiences.

The cast has certainly embraced the silliness of the piece, making the show super fun (there's that word again). Be Russell as the veteran of the office, Violet, completely embraces her behind the scenes power as the real person to keep this company afloat but still shows off some fantastic vulnerability in the face of overwhelming odds as well as impending romantic attention from a young handsome co-worker (played with comedic adorability by Ricky Spaulding). But it's her voice that truly slays from her very first note and brings the house down as she dreams of becoming "One of the Boys". Sarah Russell (yes, she and Be Russell are related, apparently this family's talent knows no bounds) may start off meek as newcomer Judy but by the time she brings in the commanding "Get Out and Stay Out" her fabulous arc is complete making her an absolute powerhouse. Naomi Morgan brings in her own power and beautifully channels the country twang of Parton as the bombshell Doralee and I adored her rendition of "Backwoods Barbie".

But the talent is not limited to the main trio. Posner as the sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical, bigot Hart embraces the vile man from the moment he utters his first horrifying line. In fact, he played him so well I almost thought the audience would turn on him. But as disgusting as he played him, he also nailed his vocals especially with the sleezy, "Here for You". And speaking of sleezy (but in the best possible way), Karen Skrinde as the sycophantic Roz, brought the house down with her rousing ode to her boss, "Heart to Heart" leaving us all in stitches.

Ah but the fun doesn't end there, as the ensemble brought their A games to every minor character, Tori Spero's hysterical old lush Margaret, and aside line, Coulson Bingham and his lackluster response to Hart's sexist joke "funny", to name just a few. But beyond them killing each moment, the ensemble showed they were truly embracing that fun in between the moments as they could be seen rocking out, sometimes with impromptu dance moves, during the instrumental interludes. And speaking of dance moves, once again Showtunes has even brought in some dancers for this concert staging to fill out those more action-oriented moments with the wonderful Jordan King, Jessica Granit, Lukas Poischbeg, and Sapphire Goetz strutting their moves across the stage as choreographed by Pamela Turpen.

With all of this under the able leadership of Director Kelly Kitchens and Music Director Nathan Young, the fun of this piece just never stopped. And so, with my three-letter rating system, I have to give Showtunes concert staging of Dolly Parton's "9 to 5: The Musical" an insanely fun YAY+. Complete with a little sing-along at the end, you're bound to have fun.

"9 to 5: The Musical" from Showtunes performs at the Erickson Theatre through April 16th. For tickets or information visit them online at www.showtunestheatre.org.

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