What a way to make a living, and what a musical production to cap off the first full season of theater at Gilmer High School (GHS) in quite a while.
That would be “9 to 5: The Musical,” which closes out GHS Theater’s 2021-22 season this weekend, May 6-8.
Showtimes for the big spring musical are Friday at 7 p.m., Saturday at 3 and 7 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m. Admission is $10 per person. GHS student admission is $5. All shows will be at the Linda Miller Theater inside GHS.
The stage version of “9 to 5” follows the same basic plot as the hit 1980 movie of the same name, which starred Jane Fonda, Dolly Parton and Lily Tomlin as three disgruntled office employees fed up with their boss’ harassment and mismanagement.
“The 10-second pitch is three women who are overworked, underpaid and mistreated decide to kidnap the boss at gunpoint and take matters into their own hands,” said James Fuller, GHS Theater director.
“It’s a very funny show that has a good message. It’s about equality and responsibility. I actually think the musical is better than the movie. Some don’t like the movie because it’s kind of dated, but the musical is more recent,” he added.
As with the movie, the stage production of “9 to 5” includes some mature content, which has been toned down a bit for the GHS run, Fuller noted.
“We did make cuts to the material, but I’m still referring to it as PG-12. It’s nothing any high schooler hasn’t seen and, honestly, I would be comfortable bringing a middle school student to the show. But there may be some references to things that parents with younger children (want to avoid),” he said.
The cast features Jordan Sharp as Judy Bernly, Addie Davenport as Violet Newstead, Sophie Burnette as Doralee Rhodes and Lucas McCoy as Frank Hart Jr. Several additional actors and actresses are featured in ensemble cast roles, Fuller noted.
“It’s actually a pretty big cast, close to 25. For two of our leads, Jordan and Sophie, this is their last hurrah. We also have a lot of first-time cast members in the ensemble,” he added.
The popular comedic film spawned a hit theme song, which was a No. 1 Billboard single for Parton, but the rest of its soundtrack consisted of the film’s original score. That’s not the case with the stage version, Fuller noted.
“The only musical number in the movie is the opener, then it’s a movie like any other movie. There are songs in the musical that are unique to it. Dolly Parton had a lot to do with the musical and was involved with the songs,” he added.
The spring musical, which is typically GHS Theater’s biggest show of the year, will conclude the first full season for the high school drama troupe since 2019. The COVID-19 pandemic and restrictions prevented a normal schedule of shows in 2020 and 2021, although the musical “Chicago” did go on last spring.
“We did really well with ‘Chicago’ and were packed out for it, but that was all we did,” said Fuller.