The cast of Medicine Hat Musical Theatre's '9 to 5' perform on opening night.--News Photo Anna Smith
asmith@medicinehatnews.com
What stands out about Medicine Hat Musical Theatre’s latest offering, a rendition of 9 to 5, is perhaps how it manages to feel grounded and fantastical at the same time.
The office set that has been created by the crew in the Playhouse manages to feel perfectly mundane, encapsulating the feel of the workplace that hasn’t changed all that much since when the play itself is set. Much of the petty office drama that occurs, such as clique behaviour, overbearing memos and one member of the team having a not-so-quiet substance use issue, feel realistic in a way that many would be familiar with.
This only serves to make the grand musical numbers and the core antics of the three leading ladies and her truly terrifically terrible boss seem all the more noteworthy, as they soar above the day-to-day of their setting, for good or ill.
Carmelita Currie, Elisha Little and Shelby Wray absolutely steal the stage as Violet, Doralee and Judy, with their bond as actresses shining through in the blossoming friendship and teamwork between these queens of the office.
The trio is easy to love and even easier to root for, even as their desire to get some reprieve from their employer quickly spirals into the criminal. It takes a certain level of charisma to convince an audience to be supportive of pointing a gun at a man, or openly daydreaming about poisoning someone’s coffee, but the girls have it in spades whether singing or speaking.
In contrast, antagonists Franklin Hart and Roz Keith, as portrayed by Pat Weisgerber and Cara Hyland, were unexpected favourites.
Something about the pair, even as the audience cheers for their inevitable downfall, delivers a playful element that helps to take them away from the less palatable elements of their very common archetypes. Most people have known a lecherous bigot or an overbearing, obsessed yes-woman, but the actors keep these roles comedic and entertaining, rather than uncomfortable reminders.
Special credit is due to the lighting, as well, the saturated blues, pinks, and various other shades adding a dreamy quality to many of the musical numbers that really brings them out of the office and into something that feels almost magical.
For director Travis Boser’s first musical, he has certainly set a high bar for himself for productions to come, bringing this classic film to life with just enough of that Dolly Parton charm to feel familiar, but with enough Medicine Hat Musical Theatre flair to feel like he’s breathed new life into the story.
