Tumble out of bed and stumble to the theatre: Dolly Parton's stage version of hit 1980 comedy 9 to 5 is coming to Melbourne's Her Majesty's Theatre from July this year, after having its Australian premiere in Sydney.
The musical features an entire score of Dolly songs, including the landmark title track '9 to 5', and follows the plot of the film pretty closely: workmates Doralee (played by Parton in the film), Violet (originally Lily Tomlin) and Judy (Jane Fonda) have been pushed to the edge by a narcissistic boss. So they hatch an elaborate plan to extract their revenge, and hilarity ensues. The book is by Patricia Resnick, who penned the film.
The local version is led by a fabulous cast of musical theatre veterans and rising stars: Marina Prior plays Violet with Erin Clare as Doralee and Samantha Dodemaide as Judy. Caroline O'Connor plays Roz, an administrative assistant desperately in love with her boss.
The show opened on Broadway in 2009 and wasn't an enormous hit. But when it was reimagined for London's West End last year, it became an immediate smash, scoring rave reviews and extending its run multiple times. That's the production Melbourne audiences will get to see.
Tickets to the Melbourne season of 9 to 5 go on sale on February 14 at 9to5themusical.com.au.