Chicago Tribune
- Somewhat Recommended
"...Andy Blankenbuehler's stylish original choreography is certainly missed. Calhoun obviously concentrated on the relationships, which are stronger and more human, and on the delivery of Parton's score. All three women nail their songs — DeGarmo's high-wattage take on the 11 o'clock number “Get Out and Stay Out” must have shaken Dolly to her boots. There's an unpressured and generous ease about these three leads. You're happy to be in their company."
Chicago Sun Times
- Somewhat Recommended
"...you might think that “9 to 5, the Musical,” based on the popular film that arrived in 1980 as a comic anthem to the first decade of “the movement,” would have at least some heartening retro appeal. Sadly it does not. The show, which opened in a national touring production Wednesday at the Bank of America Theatre — where Dolly Parton, the tiny, luminous, yet larger-than-life composer-lyricist, was on hand to celebrate her 65th birthday — is grotesquely cartoonish, visually ugly, clumsily staged and drearily dated."
Chicago Reader
- Somewhat Recommended
"...The device is cheesy as hell. But Parton also makes her presence felt in the score, which she wrote, and that's an entirely different matter. A much better than decent pop composer, she's contributed 16 lively, lyrically sophisticated tunes that help lift this pseudo-feminist period farce--three female coworkers kidnap their "sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot" of a boss--out of its absurdities. It's a great help that this touring production is so well cast. Mamie Parris, Dixie Carter look-alike Dee Hoty, and Diana DeGarmio (in the Betty Boopoid Parton role) are all vivid, as is the supporting ensemble."
Examiner
- Not Recommended
"...The cast can’t be blamed for the dazzling degree of atrociousness that is 9 to 5: The Musical. Nor, really, can Dolly Parton, who wrote the music and lyrics and whose presence opening night was the sole, genuine joy to be had in a show with about as much appeal as the inside ceiling of a lunchroom microwave that hasn’t been Windexed since 1979."
Copley News Service
- Recommended
"... If the spectator can get around the preposterous plot gimmicks, there are undeniable pleasures on the Bank of America stage. Dee Hoty, a Broadway veteran with an impressive list of musical credits, makes Violet a genuine individual, both in her anger at being abused at the office and her unsettled attitudes toward her personal life. Diana DeGarmo is a first rate Dolly Parton clone and gives us some affecting insight into the real Dolly and the burdens of going through adulthood with an ostentatiously eye popping body. Mamie Parris ascends from a two-dimension character to a real woman as she portrays Judy’s journey from insecurity to a real sense of self."
Talkin Broadway
- Somewhat Recommended
"...The result is a show that feels all too eager to please, and is willing to do so by any means necessary. It frequently succeeds and probably won't disappoint fans of the movie or Dolly Parton, nor hard-core musical comedy fans in need of a show-business fix."
Centerstage
- Somewhat Recommended
"...Nine to Five represents a specific era, and those behind the revival know this, attaching more to the work’s surrounding nostalgia than to the work itself. Perhaps lazy writers banked on a viewer’s tendency to insert her own memories. Maybe nervous producers feared the plot wouldn’t withstand the transition from movie to stage. Whatever the reason, “Nine to Five” falls into the nostalgia trap before the play even begins. We are greeted by a brightly colored scrim decked in a late 70’s motif. Pictures of Cher, Charlie’s Angels, references to The Scarsdale Diet, all boldly beckon."
Chicago Stage Review
- Somewhat Recommended
"...9 to 5 The Musical is at best watchable and cute and at worst unintentionally laughable and sloppy. Dolly Parton’s music rocks this weak romp and her presence steals the show. Too she’s not there for every show and too bad every night can’t be her birthday."
Time Out Chicago
- Somewhat Recommended
"...
Parton, of course, is one of the most talented songwriters of the last several decades, and she clearly took her first musical-theater assignment seriously. But while her songs make tentative dips into new genres, they can’t escape feeling like interpolations rather than enhancements in Resnick’s by-the-book book. Extended video narration by Parton herself makes the show feel more like a Dollywood ride than a theater piece. If you get a thrill seeing Parton onscreen, you’re better off Netflixing the original."
ShowBizChicago
- Recommended
"...9 to 5 is by no means a masterful work of theater, but it’s hard to deride a show full of Dolly Parton–penned rockabilly hits and bouncy showtunes. Nearly every audience member leaves humming the musical’s title song — and that’s a show that works overtime."
ChicagoCritic
- Somewhat Recommended
"...9 to 5 ,the Musical is gaudy and shallow musical with a mixture of a preposterous story and a largely forgettable score sung with incoherent leathery voices. I’d rather hear Dolly Parton do her act that see this mediocre show again. There was much hype in the house as Dolly Parton appeared to celebrate her 65th birthday. So, I’m guessing that the audience for this show are Parton fans and fans of the film. As a Broadway musical, 9 to 5 needs to put in some overtime with a reworked book and better sound."
Chicago Stage and Screen
- Somewhat Recommended
"...In my opinion successful films should stay successful films, not turned into other means of entertainment, especially a musical. The original film was missed while watching this empty show called “9 to 5 The Musical”. As a veteran of the south, I pride myself in enjoying Dolly Parton's golden country hits, but this just doesn't cut it. I wonder if die-hard fans of the original movie would enjoy this production, as for Dolly Parton fans the show is busting at the seems with her presence. Which was one of the more favorable things about the show."
Around The Town Chicago
- Recommended
"...The show has lots of glitz and a talented cast which allows for a good theatrical experience. Two of the secondary female roles , Roz ( a dynamic and hysterical Kristine Zbornik) and Margaret ( great comic work by Jane Blass, who steals every scene she is in, proving there are no small parts and a good actor can make even one line a memory for the audience) and a strong ensemble make the show move through an over two hour production.Ms Parton is IN the show, but by vidoe projection as she helps narrate and introduce us to the main characters, and then again, at the end, she tells us what became of each."
Reviews You Can Iews
- Somewhat Recommended
"...There's a difference between art and entertainment. People don't wanna just see art. So the next time you are thinking about doing a one man Woyzeck with a surprise ending, realize that no one wants to see it.
On the other hand a show like 9 to 5 has nothing to offer us. There is literally NO message at all and will only be authentically enjoyed in Branson. So we need to find some middle ground where we can say what we want, but dress it up as a neat thing for people to sing along with, or at least laugh a little."
Chicago Theater Beat
- Somewhat Recommended
"...9 to 5 starts off brilliantly, but like most weekdays, it lags by the end. While writer Patricia Resnick tweaked the movie’s storyline (which was Jane Fonda’s pet project), the tale is mostly the same. To be blunt, this is not a musical that will be remembered. There are a lot of cracks and the story is jerky. In the short term, however, the show exudes laughs, razzle-dazzle, and, most importantly, heart. You leave the theatre satisfied, more or less. There is a reason shows like 9 to 5 are only in town for a fortnight."
