MUSICAL theatre star Caroline O'Connor and Australian soprano powerhouse Marina Prior are set to join an all-star cast for Dolly Parton's 9 to 5 The Musical when it comes to Sydney in April.
Dolly Parton's stage version of hit 1980 comedy 9 to 5 will then go on to Melbourne's Her Majesty's Theatre from July this year, after having its Australian premiere in NSW.
The show is jam-packed with Parton hits, including the title track '9 to 5', and like the film tells the story of workmates Doralee (played by Parton in the film), Violet Newstead (originally Lily Tomlin) and Judy (Jane Fonda) have been pushed to boiling point by a their sexist and egotistical boss Franklin Hart Jnr.
They then hatch a plan to extract their revenge. Will the ladies manage to reform their office - or will events unravel when the CEO pays an unexpected visit?
On stage, Prior plays the smart and sassy Violet, who has worked all her life at Consolidated Industries. Prior gained prominence as Cosette in the Australian premiere of Les Misérables and Christine Daae in The Phantom of the Opera, and has grown to become one of Australia's favourite leading ladies, playing lead roles in The Sound of Music, Mary Poppins and The Secret Garden.
Broadway and West End star O'Connor will play the comical Roz Keith, the administration assistant who is fiercely - and unrequitedly - in love with her boss Franklin Hart Jnr.
Recently starring in Melbourne Theatre Company's Kiss of the Spiderwoman, O'Connor has played lead roles on Broadway, in the West End, France and across Australia, including Chicago, Anything Goes, West Side Story and Anastasia.
The pair will join Samantha Dodemaide as Judy and Erin Clare as Doralee.
This West End hit also features a book by the movie's original screenwriter Patricia Resnick and an Oscar, Grammy and Tony award-nominated score by the Queen of Country herself, Dolly Parton.
"I am beyond excited to be bringing this show to Melbourne after it's Sydney premiere," said Dolly Parton.
"The response from the West End to 9 to 5 The Musical has been incredible. I can't wait for more people throughout Australia to have a toe tappin' good time to the songs they love in a story they know."
"The overwhelmingly positive fan reaction to this universal story tickles every rhinestone on my body."
At Sydney Lyric Theatre, The Star, from April 21. Tickets from $59.90 Then at Melbourne's Her Majesty Theatre from July 2020.
Bookings: 9to5themusical.com.au or 136 100
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Geraldine Cardozo
Features Editor at The Senior.
Features Editor at The Senior.
