Ruth Agnew reviews 9 to 5 The Musical, music and lyrics by Dolly Parton, book by Patricia Resnick, directed by Ben Freeth, with musical direction by Richard Marrett and choreography by Kira Josephson, at the Court Theatre, Friday 21 November, 2025.
There’s something that strums the right strings in Dolly Parton songs. Opening the show with the titular toe-tappingly infectious female-empowerment anthem, we are sucked back in time to 1979 with a “more is more” aesthetic and sound. From this first killer number, we are invested and involved, and onboard whatever ride Dolly Parton wants to take us on.
Three women are at the centre of this high energy battle of the sexes. Judy (absolute powerhouse and court theatre newbie, Maya Handa Naff) fumbles and stumbles through her first day of work at Consolidated Industries, but finds an ally in the form of efficient office worker Violet (Hillary Moulder doing some of her finest work to date). Violet gives Judy tips about how to succeed in the sexist workplace, including warning her away from bubbly ‘Backwoods Barbie’, Doralee (brilliant Bianca Paine in a welcome return) with the simple damning statement: “we don’t like her”. Her pariah status has been bestowed upon her thanks to a rumour spread by their handsy misogynist boss, Franklin Hart Jnr, that she is having an affair with him.
When Violet is again passed over for a promotion in favour of a male employee she trained, she discovers Doralee is not the conniving seductress Hart has made her out to be. After a close call with a coffee cup full of death, a corpse of mistaken identity, and confinement via landline cord, our sisterhood of the unravelling plans turn accidental abduction into an office enrichment opportunity, implementing policies to improve worker satisfaction and productivity.
The show’s upbeat tone bubbles along. With women in charge, policies addressing childcare, addiction support and staff morale improve the office environment. Buzzing about in glowing hexagonal cubicles, worker bees happily carry on producing honey for the hive, while the tenacious trio unearth existence of Hart’s financial mismanagement. This is the smoking gun they need to keep Hart mum over other smoking guns, because while sexual harassment and indecent assault aren’t serious enough crimes to ensure Hart would face any consequences, money mismanagement is.
The fast paced, frenetic action is cushioned with banger songs, with each central character given a number with room to showcase her considerable talents. Dolly Parton’s songs are catchy and unashamedly emotionally charged, designed to grab us by the heartstrings and not let go. Dolly also leaves room for another queen to make a song her own. Just as Whitney making ‘I Will Always Love You’ her own personal powerhouse piece didn’t detract from the simple perfection of Dolly’s original, the songs in this show are designed to showcase the performer’s unique talents. Hillary Moulder smoulders in a fierce, fiery red-hued rendition of ‘One of the Boys’, Bianca Paine makes us all fall in love with her a little with her introduction song, ‘Backwoods Barbie’, and Judy’s assertion of independence gives the magnificent Maya Handa Naff room to show off her incredible vocal power.
Roy Snow sashays away from his usual likeable crooning charmer roles with gusto, channelling Jack Nicholson in his portrayal of reprehensible misogynist Hart. I will never tire of Juliet Reynolds-Midgely belting out show tunes, even as the evil eavesdropping office manager Roz. Her declaration of an all consuming crush on the hideous Hart (‘Heart to Hart’) is a highlight in a show already luminous with star power. Cameron Clayton, in a scene stealing small role with big impact, lets his country origins show in a fabulous cameo turn.
The supporting roles and ensemble are filled with familiar names of other top tier triple threats like the always likeable Cameron Douglas, eternally youthful Isaac Pawson as a young love interest, masterful movers Tiahli Martin and Sophie Harris leading the toe tapping, and stalwarts like Amy Straker, Jane Leonard and James Foster boosting the big sound with their glorious voices.
The hive-like set of hexagonal light boxes stretches all the way up, emphasising the height of the theatre space, and extending the worker bee metaphor. These cubicles can be prisons of carbon copy conformity, or six-sided personal spaces to show your true colours, in Mark McEntyre and Rosie Gilmore’s strikingly clever set design. The technical details are masterfully managed to echo the rise of the strong female lead characters, and the era-specific colour palettes are repeated in the costume and lighting design.
Director Ben Freeth has been meticulous in his creative vision. Richard Marrett, out of sight with a band that fills the auditorium with a swelling round sound that seems impossible to come from such a small number of musicians, brings out the vibrancy and freshness of the score with his assured musical direction.
I love that this show is powered by the strength and power of women, in its original incarnation, and in the Court Theatre. I love the gusto with which the women embody their roles, and I love hearing the spectacular voices wrapped around catchy tunes. But I don’t love that this is a 1979 musical celebrating the start of the downfall of a corrupt patriarchal corporate world, but we four decades later, we have barely moved forward. Women may be able to have their own bank accounts and it’s less legal to show sexism in the workplace now, but we live in a city where a bar operated for years as a hunting ground for the managers to find female victims to drug and assault, in a country where the Prime Minister’s press secretary and the country’s police chief were able to continue in their roles even after their sexual offending or serious misconduct came to light, and in a world where a convicted felon is America’s President. Jane Fonda, in instigating the movie 9 to 5, wanted to highlight the misogyny women face in the workforce in a palatable way, rather than subjecting delicate male audiences to something reminiscent of a feminist lecture. I love the dream of a corporate sisterhood supporting a society that values and embraces and strengthens women, but while we continue to fight for pay equity, for freedom from sexual violence whether at work, at home, or in public spaces, and for an end to patriarchal oppression, I can’t help but feel the unavoidable reality dampening the buoyant spirits raised by the bright, hopeful message of this musical.
9 to 5 The Musical is fantastic, an incredible showcase of local talent, and an absolutely amazing entertaining night out. I watched from the second tier of the audience, and enjoyed the space being so throughly filled with light and sound and applause. Then I scurrried into the central city streets ignoring drunken cat calls as I took a longer but still more brightly lit, populated route home. Because work might be 9-5, but women face the tyranny of men 24/7.
9 to 5 The Musical runs at the Court Theatre until 1 February 2026.
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