REVIEW | 9 to 5 The Musical UK Tour.

9to5 The Musical 

The Alexandra Theatre

★★★★★

Straight from the Savoy Theatre in London comes the smash-hit musical, 9 to 5. Pour yourself a cup of ambition for the UK & Ireland tour production of 9 to 5! Inspired by the 1980 film and brought to you by the musical legend Dolly Parton herself. Other than the title song, 9 to 5 admittedly being one of the most played songs on my Spotify account I had very little previous knowledge of this musical. 

9 to 5 centers around the story of three female workmates who are stuck working in a man's world; Doralee, Violet and Judy. Each of these woman provide different characteristics but deep down there's a real urge in female empowerment that oozes from the stage. Violet (Louise Redknapp) is a resilient woman who wants the best for her teenage son after her husband passed away. She has built up quite the reputation in the workplace as she trains all of the employees but her hard work is never rewarded and a promotion is so far away and quite frankly, she's through with it. Judy Bernly (Amber Davies) is the new girl in the office, and this is her first job. Her husband has ran off with a younger woman, his secretary and she is in a state of finding who she really is. Doralee Rhodes (Georgina Castle) is the super sweet but misunderstood secretary. Each of these woman deliver a fantastic performance each in their own unique way. 

Commonly these woman have a loathe for their sexist and egotistical boss Franklin Hart Jnr. Together they become a force to be reckoned with as they concoct a plan to kidnap their boss. This brings on a change like none other and we see what equality in the workplace can deliver. 

I have to say that this was probably one of the biggest surprises in musicals for me this year. I loved EVERY MOMENT of this show and I didn't want it to end. The performance as a whole completely blew me away and the cast are outstanding in delivering this fun, sassy and stylish musical. West End performer Georgina Castle is incredible as Doralee Rhodes and having seen her in Mamma Mia I knew she'd hammer it as a leading lady. She embodied a fantastic interpretation of Doralee's character from the hair to the breathtaking vocals.  

Undoubtedly one of the main surprises of the night for me was the performance from Amber Davies as the adorable Judy. The 2017 Love Island winner blew me away in her performance and I completely eat my words on the pre-perception that she wouldn't be able to take on such a big role. She is fantastic from the moment she takes to the stage and her rendition of Get Out and Stay Out almost brought me to tears, it was a really emotive performance from Davies and my goodness she is most definitely a stage star to watch out for! She is definitely way much more than the girl I watched on tv during the summer in 2017. Not only that but she has impeccable timing for the humorous parts of 9 to 5. 

There's also a bit of Dolly Parton magic as she narrates parts of the story! 

9 to 5 is known for being a hilarious musical and it most definitely delivered the gags in this production. The audience were in fits of laughter throughout the production with tongue in cheek humor here and a dig at Donald Trump there! The musical has everything to offer; the musical score is flawless with songs like 'Shine Like The Sun', '9 to 5' and 'I Just Might' bringing the house down. There's fantastic details in the set design and the clean cut choreography too - everything about it was first class. The story is incredibly simplistic but is so much more than a story about three women finding their way in a man's world. 

Underneath the fun and sass was the importance of equality and the right for woman to have the same opportunities as men. It is an empowering production that will make you stand up and raise the roof in applause!

Without a doubt - a 5 star production for me! 

Don't miss the 9 to 5 UK & Ireland Tour. Find out more on their website here.