Lindsay theater gives the daily “9 to 5” a musical turnaround

Starting April 21, the Lindsay Community Theater is presenting the smash Broadway hit, 9 to 5 the Musical. The show is based on the 1980 movie of the same name, and features music and lyrics by Dolly Parton.  Tickets are available for $10 for adults and $5 for students and are available at lindsaycommunitytheater.com. This show has a little extra excitement around it, as it is Lindsay Community Theater Manager Jim Kliegl’s 50th year in theater. In this show, he has the opportunity to make an appearance in this show. The show will take place on April 21, 22, 28, & 29 at 7:30 p.m and April 23 and 30 at 2:00 p.m.

“I’m excited about the show. We have a good cast and it’s going to be a lot of fun and I encourage people to come and see it,” Kliegl said. “The music is really good, Dolly Parton wrote some great songs.”

Kliegl said they have been practicing for the past eight weeks in preparation for the show. He said the show has an excellent cast with strong vocalists and great dancers. Though this type of show could have around 40 cast members, as small community theater often has limitations, the Lindsay Community Theater will put the show on with 17 cast members. Kliegl said he was pleasantly surprised with the music in the show. Even with the music written by country western star Parton, he said not all the songs are country western style music. Kliegl is excited to share this show and hopes the community members enjoy it.

“There are a couple of songs that are kind of country sounding, but a lot of them aren’t,” Kliegl said. “They’re just neat, neat songs.”

The show begins with the clocks ringing and workers waking up. Violet Newstead played by Petra Garibay, Doralee Rhodes played by Alli Smith and Judy Bernly played by Amy Zedda prepare for work. This is when they sing the song “9 to 5.” Judy on her first day of work meets Violet and confesses she has no work experience, but Violet gives her a few tips for surviving office life in the song “Around Here.” The boss, Franklin Hart, Jr. played by Richard Garibay, is a lecherous man, who lusts after his secretary, Doralee This is shown through the song “Here for You.”

The song “I Just Might” is sung while Judy is belittled by Hart on her first day, Violet seeks a promotion, and Doralee is wanting to be accepted. After being shunned by the others, Doralee reflects on her whole life as being just a pretty face in the song “Backwoods Barbie.” Soon Violet discovers the promotion was given to Bob, who is played by Glen Lilly, and Doralee finds out that Hart’s is telling everyone they are having an affair. All three of the women, who are now seemingly united in their contempt for Hart, go back to Violet’s house and light up a joint. Suddenly, each woman lapses into a murderous fantasy involving Mr. Hart; Judy as a femme fatale sings “The Dance O’ Death”, Doralee as a crack rodeo star in “Cowgirl’s Revenge” and Violet as a deranged Snow White in “Potion Notion”. They all celebrate Hart’s imagined death in “Joy to the Girls”.

The next morning, Violet accidentally puts rat poison into Hart’s coffee and frantically tells the others. Hart’s assistant, Roz played by Alesha McCoy and Kathryn Thullen overhears the ladies and tells Hart, who did not drink the coffee, but decides to let on that he did. After Hart leaves, Roz sings the song “Heart to Hart” confessing her love for him. The three women all go to the hospital in a panic but learn he was never there. When Doralee sneaks back into the office to destroy the evidence, Hart confronts her and is going to call the police, but Doralee rips the phone cords out and ties up Hart. The women, not knowing what else to do, decide to imprison Hart in his own house and take over the office with the song “Shine Like the Sun.” The women, empowered, restrain Hart to a mechanical harness in his bedroom.

The next day in Hart’s office, the three women are plotting how to keep Hart’s disappearance a secret. Doralee, who can forge Hart’s signature, points out to Violet that she is, in a sense, the new CEO of the company in “One of the Boys.” Roz begins to get nosy, so in a memo with Hart’s signature, they send Roz to a one-month language seminar to learn French. Roz is heartbroken because she believes that Hart doesn’t like her and expresses this in “5 to 9”. Hart is still strung up in his bedroom but passes time by watching soap operas.

Back at the office, the new changes shown in “Change It” using Hart’s name have had a positive impact on the workers who are played by Rory Holt, Jeremy Waterman, Riley Keeton, Maria Lopez, Audrey Obannon, Jennifer Keeton, Sofia Craven and Brenda Lilly. Joe, played by Olive Flores, is a young office worker, who is attracted to Violet. He asks her out, but she claims she is too old for him and that her husband’s death three years before has prevented her from dating again. Joe is very convincing in the song “Let Love Grow”, and Violet accepts as they walk off holding hands. At Hart’s house, Judy’s ex-husband, Dick played by Michael Avila-Beach, asks her to take him back. However she rebuffs him and will not crawl back to someone who broke her heart, through the song “Get Out and Stay Out”.

The next day, Hart escapes and storms into the office with Judy as hostage. The women, seemingly defeated, are ready to be punished when they learn that the Chairman of the Board, Mr. Tinsworthy, played by Kliegl, is paying a visit. The women and Hart meet Tinsworthy, who praises Hart for the great changes in the office. After he discovers that it was Violet and the others who are responsible, Tinsworthy sends Hart to manage the South American branch in Bolivia.

Violet is then promoted to the first female CEO. In the finale we learn that Hart was captured by natives in the jungles of Bolivia and was never seen or heard from again.By the end of the show, Roz found a new love, Hart’s wife, Missy played by Liz Waterman. Violet and Joe remain together 30 years and are very happy together. Doralee ends up in Nashville and becomes a successful country western singer. And Judy stays single and becomes a regular guest on The View after writing a bestselling book, Life Without Dick.

Kliegl has been a part of the theater world in Lindsay for 50 years. He directed his first play at the Lindsay High School in 1973. He said this isn’t the first time he has had to step on stage and play a small role. He thoroughly enjoys what he does and said it is fun to be involved both on and off stage.

“I’ve had to step in like four or five times now and take part in the play, but I kind of enjoy that too,” Kliegl said. “So it’s kind of fun to be on stage as well as being involved in the backstage stuff.”