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Show: 9 to 5 – The Musical
Society: Performance Preparation Academy – PPA (student productions)
Venue: Bellerby Studio Theatre, Walnut Tree Close, Guildford, GU1 4UG
Credits: Music & Lyrics by Dolly Parton Book by Patricia Resnick
Type: Sardines
Author: Nigel Dams
Performance Date: 23/02/2018
9 to 5 – The Musical
Nigel Dams | 24 Feb 2018 22:22pm
I had no idea what to expect when I went to the tiny theatre in Guildford at the Performance Preparation Academy premises. I was stunned. It was a glowing, glittering, supercharged performance that gave me actual chills at times. The good sort of chills. Very good.
They have apparently only been rehearsing this show for about five weeks, but you wouldn’t know it. It was right up there with many of the best shows staged by seasoned and practised professionals. If the american accents slipped once or twice it was only by a fraction of a degree – kudos to the accent coach Suzanne Parke. If the occasional note was not absolutely perfect, it was not noticeable to me. On one or two occasions, a performer failed to keep singing perfectly while carrying out the complicated ‘business’ with the props, but again, it was a matter of tiny, tiny fractions and the whole show was first-class, a real credit to the Academy and the whole team.
A cast of about twenty were flawless with their cues, their moves, their costume changes, I can’t praise them highly enough. But special mention must be made of the principals. Triple-threats, all of them. Actually, considering that they were all gorgeous with it, I suppose that makes them quadruple-threats.
If you don’t know the story you must have been in a maximum-security prison for the last 38 years. It’s about three overworked and under appreciated women getting even with their arrogant sexist lying embezzler of a boss. Georgia Imrie was perfect as Violet, Emma Turtle was perfect as Doralee (even down to the Dolly Parton accent) and Joely Barbour was perfect as Judy. Ms Barbour commanded the high point of the evening with a devastating Get Out and Stay Out, hitting a gigantic final note that was literally breathtaking and fully deserved the roar of applause that followed. It would be remiss of me not to mention that a strong contender for ‘high point of the evening’ belongs to the whole cast, with the final line of Shine Like The Sun. I got chills, guys, really.
The object of their vengeance was Franklin Hart, played by Jack Osmond, a wonderfully lewd and louche sleaze bag of cinematic charisma. I loved his erotically charged and powerful delivery of Here For You.
Supporting players who also deserve special mention are Rachael Chomer, as Roz, Matthew Michaels as Joe and Jordan Newman as Dwayne.
Choreography by Rachel Baker was of the highest professional standard, and executed with precision, energy and pizzaz of the kind you expect to pay £70 to see in the West End. Staging was excellent too under the management of Eddie and Polly King – I particularly loved the way our heroines hoisted the bad guy toward the ceiling on a rope. And the venetian blinds – superb.
If I were to offer a small bit of constructive criticism, it would be to say that the principals, when singing or speaking solo lines could sometimes not be heard. The low notes were lost in the music and the chorus. Conversely, the high notes and the belt notes were a bit too loud. If the engineer had any compression on the voices, I would respectfully suggest a little more.
Speaking of the music – The ‘Band’ are credited to just two people, musical director Kevin Oliver Jones and Jack Tanner. They sounded a lot bigger than just two people, adding another layer of excellence to a sparkling show.
I must offer my heart-felt congratulations to director Lucy Stewart and the entire cast and crew for a wonderful evening, and wish the students of this superb academy all the best in their future careers.
- : admin
- : 23/02/2018