The first thing that pops into my mind when I think of “9 to 5” is of course, Dolly Parton’s movie from 1980. I was very curious about how this movie could be turned into a play and how they could capture the essence of the original film. The Cal State Bakersfield theatre department did an amazing job at making the musical very entertaining to see on stage and enticing different generations into one room to enjoy the show.
The play centers around three main characters, Violet, Judy and Doralee as they navigate their job in the workplace where men’s opinions and existence are valued more than women’s. Even if they have good ideas, their male boss, Mr. Hart, gets the credit and praise while they continue to serve him in the workplace. With the production being a musical, expect many performances of the popular soundtrack throughout the play.
The song performances were amazing to see until the ensemble numbers came up. While the solo performances were delivered very well, the coordination with choreography within a group got a little too messy to the point where it was distracting. This was mostly during the first half however, by the second half it was a little more cleaned up.
The whole theme of sexism within the workplace was not shoved in our faces, but rather it left us rooting for the main protagonists and growing a sense of discontent for the boss himself. I feel like the message was made into a comedy that was easy to digest. When something unfair happens to a woman within the workplace in the play, we end up rooting for the girls to get justice for themselves…