I find it hard to believe that anyone could sit through the opening of SUPAS’ production of ‘9 to 5: The Musical’ ‘ without smiling. Not only does it feature the actual Dolly Parton as a narrator, it also introduces the characters and the high standard to which this play remains through the exciting, classic song, “9 to 5.” The performance and choreography of the song is excellent, a standard that is met within all the other songs (largely due to the outstanding work of the choreographer, Alice Copestick, and musical director, Charlie Harmer). Furthermore, the supporting cast makes the play feel more alive through the sheer work and dedication they put into every routine. My favourite moment that demonstrated the sheer talent of the actors, as well as those behind the curtains, were the songs “The Dance of Death,” “Cowgirl’s Revenge,” and “Potion Notion.” These songs quickly followed each other and wowed the audience due to, not only the outstanding humour, but the skill involved in each wildly different routine.
This play would not work without its three main actresses as each one is wonderful and a delight to watch in their own way. Violet, performed by Liv Slater, displays a fantastic range, leaving the audience in stitches one moment, and then sympathetic towards her and her situation the next moment. Her abilities clearly peaked with her performance of the song “One of the Boys” in which several unique styles are shown, yet Slater makes them look easy and would stun even the toughest critic. At her side is Judy (Abbie Hand), the emotional and nervous new secretary. Although Hand’s performance is great due to her nervous comedy, it is with her singing through which truly amazes the audience. Her final note in “Get Out and Stay Out” is unbelievable and ultimately made me feel severely out of breath! The final actor in this trio is Abi Yates who plays Doralee, the over- ogled and overlooked secretary. Performing in a play is always a challenging task, but taking on the same role as Dolly Parton? Terrifying! However, Yates brilliantly manages to capture some of the magic of the country legend, and is clearly having the best time in doing so. In all honesty, it’s hard not to get swept up in the excitement with her!
You cannot have a musical without a pompous villain, and that hole is superbly filled by Jess Dovey’s Roz, and Nathan Sloane’s Franklin Hart. Daz is a horribly snide co-worker with an obsessive fixation on her boss. However, no matter how much you dislike her character, there is no denying that “Heart to Hart” was a comedic genius that brought the audience, and myself to tears with laughter. Although, when it comes to villains, there is nothing better than a revolting, misogynistic boss who is introduced by putting his cheesy portrait on the wall. Sloane is outstanding and is an actor I would truly love to see more from in the future. His physical comedy and cartoonish villainy evoked laughter from everyone whilst he was on stage.
Despite technical errors and timing issues (nothing more than minor first night errors), this was a delight to watch from start to finish. The director, William Leggetter, should be proud of his work and I congratulate him on what he achieved. To put this simply, this show is great fun! I’m glad I got the opportunity to watch it and I would suggest you do too.
4/5
SUPAS’ 9 to 5 is running until 10th December in the Drama Studio. Get your tickets here: https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/supas