9 to 5 At Theatre by the Lake, Keswick Review

Reviewed by Jo Hardy

9 to 5 the musical is based on the popular 1980’s film of the same name.  I could vaguely remember the film but not the complete story.  I certainly remember the song 9 to 5 by the lovely Dolly Parton.  This was the song that opened the show and was introduced by a video message from Dolly herself! who doesn’t love Dolly?  The show tells the story of three ladies Violet ,Judy and Doralee and how they managed to take over the running of the office from their sexist egotistical boss resulting in very positive changes.

Set in the late 70’s, the first part of the show was a little uncomfortable to watch in todays world.  It showed the bosses extremely sexist behaviour towards his female staff members.  It’s hard to believe that this was common behaviour in many workplaces at that time.  As uncomfortable as it was it was, it was an essential part of the story and had to be shown.

The show was performed by the “Keswick Amateur Operatic ” and the female leads with solo pieces had such fantastic voices and very good American accents.  It was hard to believe they were amateurs.  Mr Hart the sexist boss was also excellent.  The poor man spent some of the time dangling in the air on a hoist.   It was a large cast( 22 I think), who acted, sang and danced their hearts out.  A couple of the dancers looked very professional in their moves.  It was a very high energy performance with lots of songs, but I was a bit disappointed that 9 to 5 was the only recognisable one.

I sat in the last row of the circle and had an excellent view of the stage , I could tell that the music was being played live but couldn’t see the band anywhere.  I later found out that the band were played in another stage room.  A picture of them was projected onto the back of the stage at the end of the show along with a closing message from Dolly.

The Keswick Amateur Operatic Society put on one main show per year.  This show was original planned for 2020 but of course had to be postponed due to Covid.  It is lovely to see live entertainment like this back.  They bring so much joy which was very apparent from the huge applause at the end of the show.

Never underestimate an amateur performance.  They can be every bit as good as a professional one, especially when using all the facilities a professional theatre can offer.

Rating: 4/5

9 to 5 The Musical runs from 5th May – 8th May , the show lasts 150 minutes with an interval, ticket prices are £12 – £26 and can be booked on theatrebythelake.com.

If you can’t make it this year, look out for next years production.  The society also put on some shows for charity at various location though out north Cumbria.

Theatre by the Lake also has a packed schedule for the rest of the year.