This past week, Emmanuel College Theater Department put on their annual musical, and this year it was Dolly Parton’s “9 to 5,” based on the original screenplay and featuring music, and video appearances, by Dolly herself. The department put on a staggering six shows over the course of four days, and I attended opening night on Thursday 4/27, as well as the Saturday matinee. The show follows three female office workers- Doralee, Violet, and Judy- as they navigate the sexist working environment of their 1979 office. When they accidentally almost poison their sexist boss, they have to cover it up- and take advantage of the changes they can make with him gone!
A simple but effective set, accurate costuming, and a cast with powerful stage presence made this show an incredibly enjoyable success! Tony Melchionda rocked his role as the “sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot” Mr. Hart, the cartoonishly sexist, and hilarious, antagonist of the show, and Iana San Nicolas was SHOW STOPPING as Roz, the office assistant in love with him. Both of them had tastefully over-the-top performances that fit their characters and added soul to the show.
Sarah Melloni, Erin Wheeler, and Phee Simpson all killed it as the shows three leads, with powerhouse vocals, great accents (Sarah’s character, Doralee, had a Southern accent, and Phee, who is British, did a great American accent), and exceptional acting. All three have masterful comedic timing, great stage presence, and a ton of overall talent! All three were recognized by the KCACTF respondent who attended, and both Sarah and Erin were nominated for awards. It was clear that all three of them poured tons of their time and effort into making sure the show was a success, and it paid off. Bess Hughes, the set designer, hair and makeup designer, part-time prop master, and overall super human was also recognized and invited to the KCACTF annual festival for their incredible effort and results.
Overall, the great ensemble, powerful leads, and love for the arts that this show displayed made the production awesome (even if the recording of Dolly couldn’t keep time to her own music).