9 to 5 - The Musical

Review by Martine Silkstone.

I confess I am (just) old enough to remember the 1980s film, but I think it’s fair to say that most people will be familiar with Dolly Parton’s iconic title track. Now ‘9 to 5 – The Musical’ is hitting the Suffolk stage, complete with a host of catchy songs by the country music legend herself.

In fact, Dolly also makes a special appearance during the show in the form of a voice-over (via boom box – very era appropriate), starting at the very beginning as her warm, melodic Tennessee drawl sets the scene by introducing us to the characters and their stories.

Of course, we then open with the well-known tune (getting everyone in the mood) and proceed to find our cast of players at the bustling office of Consolidated Companies.

Among them are three very different women – Violet, Judy and Doralee – each on a journey to finding their own power while fighting rampant sexism in the 1980s workplace.

Forming an unlikely friendship, the undervalued trio decide they have had enough of their overbearing, chauvinistic male boss, Mr Franklin Hart, and fantasise about taking their sweet revenge. When their wild plot accidentally comes true, chaos ensues as the women kidnap him, take over the office and set about transforming life at work into something more progressive and productive. But will they escape jail? What has Mr Hart really been up to? And is romance still possible for a successful, professional woman? Spoiler alert – yes it is.

This show has it all: comedy, heart, vengeance and a retro take on the still-burning question of gender equality in the workplace.

All of which is played by a super cast performing their socks off.

In particular, I have to say that I was completely blown away by Karla Tracey as Doralee - her voice is simply incredible with more than a hint of Dolly. I also loved Jessica Martin as Roz, the uptight office manager with a hidden passion for the boss man. Her fantasy scene with Franklin (Tim Rogers) was hilarious and so well played - wonderfully awkward and full of repressed passion. Then you have Kayla Carter as the sweet-but-feisty Judy, and Jade Marvin as the smart-but-dismissed Violet.

Now, the staging is rather dull, but in fairness that may be the point – a grey corporate wasteland and all that – and actually I love how they have choreographed walking the invisible corridors and incorporated office furniture into some of the dance routines.

I also love that the fantastic band is on stage throughout – in an upstairs office if you will – which is a popular production style these days and one of which I heartily approve. It’s always lovely to see the talented musicians at work, and they form the backbone of any musical, after all.

That said, I did find the sound a bit ‘off’ as is often the case with touring shows on opening night. It was sometimes hard to hear the singer over the band, and the witty lyrics were occasionally lost in the noise. The fast-paced dialogue was also hard to understand at times and I wanted to ask them to slow down a little so we could truly appreciate their comedy performance.

And there was a brief pause after the interval due to a technical difficulty – it happens.

But I’m sure all of these things will have been addressed as the show continues at Ipswich Regent this week.

Overall, it was a joyful experience and I left feeling uplifted – and that’s what you really want from a comedy musical, right?

I can’t deny I was on my feet dancing at the end.

9 to 5 The Musical is at Ipswich Regent Theatre until 22 August 2026.

FOR SHOW DETAILS AND BOOKING LINK, CLICK HERE