Show and Tell Post 3: 9 to 5!

I read this musical recently because I learned that Theatre Baton Rouge was doing it. I still am not exactly sure how I feel about it, but it certainly was not boring. As I continued to read the plot I kept saying to myself... really?!? A lot happens in this musical. For those of you who have not read it, and are reading my blog post which is late (hey Dr. Fletcher), the plot follows a "horrible bosses" storyline. That movie and this play have many similarities. This play contains the asshole boss who discriminates against beautiful women and does not appreciate anyone. Clearly, the employees are all unhappy. I absolutely loved the songs about how the three women wanted to kill their boss. They were creative and tied into the story well. As I read this play I tried to come up with a Unifying Principle. I just kept returning to the reasons why people put up with terrible jobs. People work so they can play. All of these women are willing to work hard so they can eventually be happy. Even their boss wants to be happy and he believes that he can be through controlling everyone else. The play wants things to resolve themselves. The moments that make the play speed along are the pleasant moments you want to go on forever. The shorter moments that move quickly are the conflicts that we want to be resolved. Everything in this show points towards happiness. The Unifying Principle for me is get happy. The story and characters are trying to become happy as things progress. This is a cute play with great music.