On stage, as on screen, '9 to 5' works

Review

If work were as fun as "9 to 5: The Musical," no one would mourn Mondays or shout TGIF ever again. The national touring show, at the David A. Straz Jr. Center for the Performing Arts through Sunday, is pure entertainment. It's based on the 1980 film that starred Jane Fonda, Dolly Parton and Lily Tomlin. While the movie was a hoot, sticking it to horrible bosses and workplace drudgery, the music for the stage adaptation takes the characters to a whole other level.

It's 1979, and Violet (Dee Hoty) has worked thanklessly at Consolidated for 15 years. Violet is a smart, no-nonsense, hard-working widow. She knows the business better than her boss, Franklin Hart Jr. (Joseph Mahowald), who's a sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot.

When Hart's not toasting Scotch with his male employees or telling raunchy jokes, he's chasing his secretary, Doralee (Diana DeGarmo), around his office. No one likes Doralee with the Double D's because Hart has told everyone she's his mistress. The rumor isn't true, but her titillating appearance gives everyone a reason to believe that it is.

Judy (Mamie Parris), who is recently divorced and has never worked a day in her life, joins Consolidated. Violet grudgingly mentors her on interoffice politics, copiers and self-esteem.

These three very different women become friends over marijuana and munchies, each sharing her fantasy about doing away with Hart. Ironically, a mix-up that nearly kills Hart pushes the girls into kidnapping him, tying him up and taking over the company. In less than four weeks, Violet, Doralee and Judy turn a profit, boost morale and prove Hart to be a bigger boob than the ones stuffed in Doralee's sweater.

Dolly Parton made her mark on the musical, writing the score and narrating like an omnipresent fairy godmother. Though each character was already distinctive, Parton's music developed them further, especially Roz (Kristine Zbornik), Hart's sycophantic assistant who is secretly in love with him. Zbornik was hilarious and superb.

Hoty, Parris and helium-voiced DeGarmo, runner-up in the third season of "American Idol," were terrific. They were all just as funny and sassy as the film's stars.

Aside from the added soundtrack, the musical and film were nearly identical. Some may wonder why anyone bothered to Xerox an earlier idea. But who cares if originality took a back seat to a moneymaking opportunity? "9 to 5: The Musical" was a good time. And what's wrong with that?