I was more than pleasantly surprised at 9 to 5: The Musical in the Bord Gais Energy Theatre. It was uplifting and funny and actually very good. I had seen the movie but hadn’t remembered liking it as much. An added bonus was that Dolly Parton herself features projected on screen to narrate the story at the beginning and the end.
The three leads were excellent – Jackie Clune as Violet, Amy Lennox as Doralee and Natalie Casey [you might recognize her as Donna from Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps] as clueless and broken-hearted Judy. Jackie Clune plays the older, single mother part to perfection – a born leader with a heart of gold. Amy Lennox is great as Double–D Doralee, the part played by Dolly in the original movie. She has the perfect country twang to her voice. Lastly, Natalie Casey is a great comic actress with a lovely voice. Her character takes the biggest journey from scared divorcee to strong single lady. Also the funniest scene goes to Bonnie Langford [Roz] and Ben Richards [Franklin] doing a tango in the office. The songs are uplifting and the story silly but funny.
In the end it’s all about girl power and sure if you have to kidnap your boss to get it, why not? But I wouldn’t recommend it. I couldn’t think of a better way to end Blue Monday. If you want a good laugh and a guaranteed fun night out, I’d recommend 9 to 5. Just a note of warning you’ll be singing the song for the rest of the week. You have to be quick though as it’s only in the Bord Gais Theatre till Saturday 26th January.
