9 to 5

Gratuitous Violins rating: *** out of ****

Before I saw 9 to 5, I knew that New York Times theatre critic Ben Brantley had written a pretty scathing review. After seeing it, I went back and reread what he wrote - he called 9 to 5 a "gaudy, empty musical."

I know that theatre fans can disagree and those passionate debates/arguments make the discussion interesting. But wow, did we see the same show?

I enjoyed 9 to 5 tremendously - it made me laugh and I think the story would resonate with anyone - male or female - who's ever felt unappreciated or mistreated on the job or passed over because they weren't "one of the boys."

Now, it's been years since I've seen the 1980 movie 9 to 5, - in fact, I probably haven't watched it since 1980. So I don't know how closely Patricia Resnick's book about three women trying to get the goods on their sexist boss hews to her screenplay but I'm guessing it's pretty close.

I loved Allison Janney as Violet Newstead, the sharp office manager who keeps things running but never gets credit for it. While I've seen her in a few movie roles, I only watched The West Wing a couple of times, so this really was my first introduction to the four-time Emmy winner and I thought she was terrific.

Stephanie J. Block is funny as the timid Judy Bernly, who's nervous about reentering the work force after a messy divorce. As the well-endowed and outgoing Doralee Rhodes, Megan Hilty is doing a Dolly Parton impression - but it's a darn fine Dolly Parton impression and I liked it.

And Marc Kudisch is great as the unscrupulous, womanizing boss Franklin Hart Jr. It must be a physically demanding role, too, because Hart spends much of the show in some pretty uncomfortable circumstances but Kudisch handles it well.

Speaking of Dolly Parton, I really enjoyed her score. Of course the title song, written for the movie, is great and I'm not sure there's anything else that's quite as memorable and catchy. But I liked Janney's big number, "One of the Boys," and the three women in their Act I finale, "Shine Like the Sun."

The one thing that disappointed me a bit was Andy Blankenbuehler's choreography. I admired his Tony-winning work for In the Heights, which was so vibrant and exciting. But here, it just seemed a bit generic, nothing special.

For me, movie-to-musical adaptations have been a mixed bag. Some, like Hairspray, I think are brilliant and some, like Young Frankenstein, have left me sitting there wondering what everyone else found so amusing.

Others are in the middle - maybe not groundbreaking but thoroughly enjoyable. And for me, 9 to 5 is in that category. I had a great seat - third row on the aisle, left orchestra. I wanted to sit back and have fun - and I did.

Sadly, 9 to 5 will close Sept. 6 but the producers are planning a tour beginning in 2010.

New York says hello to Dolly

Last month it was Arthur Laurents and now, New York magazine writer Jesse Green has turned his attention to Dolly Parton. Her musical 9 to 5 opens at Broadway's Marquis Theatre on April 30 and she comes across as very gracious and down to earth in this profile.

Green writes that the idea for a 9 to 5 musical came from Robert Greenblatt, of Showtime, who bought the rights to the 1980 movie. Parton sent Greenblatt a few sample songs and told him if they weren't right, she wouldn't be offended. He could hire another songwriter and still use her title tune.

(Of course, her songs turned out to be just fine, although I haven't heard any of them yet - except for "9 to 5," which I already knew.)

And this piqued my curiosity: She has an autobiographical Broadway show in the works.

But the funniest passage is when Green visits Dollywood, in Pigeon Forge, Tenn., and Parton's creative director, Steve Summers, tries to convince him to try some fried bologna:

“I eat your sushi when I’m in New York,” says Summers. Though I have ground my supply of Lipitor into a paste and swabbed it over myself as a shield against ambient cholesterol, I feel my defenses beginning to crack."