SPRINGFIELD, Vt. – “9 to 5” the movie, starring Dolly Parton, Jane Fonda, and Lily Tomlin, won the hearts of audiences in 1980 by telling the story of three overworked, underappreciated secretaries who exact revenge on their abusive boss. “9 to 5: The Musical,” with music and lyrics by Dolly Parton, and book by Patricia Resnick, is based on the original screenplay written by Resnick and Colin Higgins, and first premiered in Los Angeles in 2008 before heading to Broadway for a short-lived run.
With themes of sexism, equal pay for women, bullying, negative stereotyping, and toxic bosses, the play remains relatable in 2023. Even if some of the 80s hold-over jokes fall flat, or the handling of certain issues, like alcoholism, seem dated, the play achieves a level of nostalgic light-heartedness.
The Springfield Community Players opened their summer season on May 13 with this musical romp, showcasing plenty of heart, a talented cast that really commits to Suzanne Stern’s playful choreography, and some challenging physical comedy bits. In her third turn as director for the players, Sarah Vitale said she couldn’t be prouder of everyone.
In the role of the “sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot” boss, Franklin Hart, is Vitale’s husband Louis Vitale. Louis Vitale performs several scenes while in a harness hanging from the rafters, after Hart gets tied up, gagged, and kidnapped by his three mutinying employees. Vitale also has a comical bump-and-grind number that had the audience cackling.
The cast has fun playing with the campy, over-the-top parody, and each of the three female leads shine in their moment in the spotlight, acting out their revenge fantasies against Hart.
The role of Doralee is performed with a bawdy wink by the delightful Ainsley Bertone. Bertone graduated from Nazareth College with a BFA in musical theater, and she owns this performance, her debut with the players. Bertone is thrilled to be taking on the role made famous by Parton, and to have the opportunity to showcase her talents in her hometown of Springfield.
Ashlee White plays Violet, the role Tomlin portrayed in the movie; a strong, independent woman, tired of being taken for granted by her boss and passed over for promotions. White’s Violet evolves from being a hard-edged perfectionist, stressed single mom, and loner, into a softer, more vulnerable person, a good friend, a great boss, and even someone’s girlfriend. Last season, White gave a hilarious performance as pregnant nun Jeri Neal McFeeley (Sister Mary Esther) in the players’ production of “The Sweet Delilah Swim Club.”
Jamie Thompson is shy Judy, whose husband, Dick, left her for his young secretary, and who has never held a job before. Judy’s transition into an independent, single woman is a fun progression to witness, and Thompson plays her fantasy scene with gusto, letting loose Judy’s “sexy siren” side, while giving Hart his comeuppance.
The character of Joe, the bookish accountant who helps the ladies bring down Hart while expressing his love for Violet, is played with sweet sincerity by Sam Mathewes, making his debut with the players.
The role of Roz, Hart’s desperate assistant, is performed by Carol Scott, who makes the most of a tricky part, playing a woman foolishly in love with her boss but deemed too unattractive to be the recipient of his lecherous pursuits. Scott nearly bares all, in a raucous dance number where, in opposition to the fantasies of the three women who imagine Hart dead, Roz dreams of being Mrs. Hart.
Many actors were new to the stage, including high school freshman Caroline Wade, who plays a variety of roles. In his first appearance with the players, Kane Vitale, son of Louis and Sarah, plays Violet’s pot-smoking son Josh, who provides the joint that helps loosen up Violet, Doralee, and Judy, in a giggly scene which brings them closer together.
The final weekend’s performances on Saturday, May 20 at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, May 21 at 2 p.m., both sold out, so a third show has been added to the schedule for Saturday, May 20 at 2 p.m. A fantastic start to the Springfield Community Players season, which will feature “Let’s Murder Marsha,” and two shows that had been postponed due to Covid, “Puffs, or Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic,” and “Clue.”