9 to 5 The Musical on stage

Sydney to host Australian premiere

THE countdown is on to the much anticipated Australian premiere of 9 TO 5 THE MUSICAL, Dolly Parton’s smash-hit West End musical, which will open in February at the Capitol Theatre, Sydney, followed by a limited season at the Lyric Theatre, QPAC, Brisbane from May.

New tickets for performances up to 3 April go on sale this week in Sydney, with pre-sales from tomorrow and the general public on-sale from Friday 3 December.

Internationally acclaimed and loved by audiences and critics alike, 9 TO 5 is pure gold carat fun! The producers have assembled a top line cast to inhabit these iconic and much loved roles. 

Marina Prior will play Violet Newstead, a smart, sassy and efficient woman who has worked all her life at Consolidated Industries. She has all it takes to run the company but there is one small issue … her boss!

Marina 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 most accomplished leading ladies, playing lead roles in The Sound of Music, Mary Poppins, The Secret Garden and countless other productions.

Casey Donovan will be Judy Bernly, a newly separated, never worked before young woman who finds more than just a job at Consolidated Industries.

Casey shot to stardom after winning Australian Idol as a 16-year-old in 2004, and has since become an audience favourite in concert and in musical theatre.

Most recently she played Matron Mama Morton in the smash hit musical Chicago, and has performed in The Flower Children, The Sapphires, Rent and We Will Rock You.

Erin Clare will play Doralee Rhodes, a ‘don’t mess with me’ well-brought-up, bright and beautiful country gal. She may look like a push over but is anything but!

Following her first starring role as Scaramouche in The Gordon Frost Organisation’s national tour of We Will Rock You, she has featured in Heathers the Musical, American Psycho, High Fidelity, American Idiot and Merrily We Roll Along.

Caroline O’Connor plays busy-body Roz Keith, the administration assistant who is fiercely - and unrequitedly - in love with her boss Franklin Hart Jnr.

Most recently seen in Melbourne Theatre Company’s Kiss of the Spiderwoman, Caroline has played lead roles on Broadway, in the West End, France and across Australia, including Chicago, Anything Goes, West Side Story, On The Town, Man of La Mancha, Bombshells, A Christmas Story and Anastasia to name just a few.

Eddie Perfect will play the controlling boss Franklin Hart Jnr. One of Australia's most respected and prolific writers and performers, Eddie is perhaps best known as all-round nice guy Mick Holland on Channel 10’s hit series Offspring, and has been seen in Kath and Kim, Spicks And Specks and numerous comedy shows including ABC TV’s Stand Up, The Melbourne Comedy Festival Gala and Good News Week.

On stage Eddie performed in Keating! The Musical, Misanthropology, The Threepenny Opera and Shane Warne The Musical, which he wrote himself. In 2019, Eddie wrote the music and lyrics for the Broadway premiere of Beetlejuice, for which he was nominated for Best Original Score at the 2019 Tony Awards.

“I am so excited that Marina, Casey and Erin will be playing Violet, Judy and Doralee alongside Caroline and Eddie in the Australian cast of 9 TO 5,” said Dolly Parton.

“The response to 9 TO 5 from around the world has been incredible so far. I can't wait for everyone down under to have a fun (and funny!) night out at 9 TO 5.”

Producers John Frost for Crossroads Live Australia, Suzanne Jones and Ambassador Theatre Group Productions said: “We’re thrilled that Marina and Erin will return to the cast of 9 TO 5 to join Caroline and Eddie, and that the wonderful Casey Donovan will be alongside them. 

"Now 9 TO 5 is back in business with a full cast, theatres booked and audiences clamouring to buy tickets. So put on your Saturday best and join us for the most fun you’ll have all year at 9 TO 5.”

The Australian premiere, secured exclusively for Sydney by the NSW Government through Destination NSW, will be a major drawcard for visitors to NSW.

Minister for Tourism Stuart Ayres said securing the Australian premiere of 9 TO 5 was a coup for Sydney and would give the state’s visitor economy a welcome boost by creating jobs and attracting visitors to the Harbour City after the ongoing challenges of COVID-19.

“The NSW visitor economy stands to benefit significantly from hosting Dolly Parton’s 9 TO 5 and we look forward to welcoming visitors to Sydney to see this upbeat, high-energy production come to life and bring some rhinestone sparkle to our stages,” Mr Ayres said.

“The NSW Government is focused on investing in world-class events to deliver on our goal of becoming the premier visitor economy in the Asia Pacific, and securing this production for Sydney will bring welcome positivity as we emerge from the challenges of the pandemic.”

The plot

A sensation on the West End and inspired by the hit film, the musical tells the story of Doralee, Violet and Judy, three enterprising workmates pushed to the edge by their mean-spirited boss Franklin Hart Jnr.

Resorting to wit, comradery and cunning, they dream up a no holds barred scheme to kidnap and turn the tables on their controlling supervisor in the most hilariously defiant of ways. The only question is, will the feisty trio manage to change the office culture to reach their full potential - or will events unravel when the CEO pays an unexpected visit?

With a sparkling score by Dolly Parton and a book by the iconic movie’s original screenwriter Patricia Resnick, 9 TO 5 is the quintessential feel-good show for the times. Full of mischief, laughter and affection, it’s gold carat fun!

Set the alarm for a great night out at Dolly Parton’s joyous smash-hit musical 9 TO 5, featuring knock-out songs and high-flying ambitions. It's Sydney season begins at the Capitol Theatre on 16 February, 2022 followed by a short season at QPAC Brisbane from 22 May.

The Australian Government is supporting 9 TO 5 through its $200 million Restart Investment to Sustain and Expand (RISE) Fund, a program that is providing financial assistance to arts and entertainment companies affected by COVID-19.

Based on the 20th Century Fox Picture and originally produced on Broadway by Robert Greenblatt, in April 2009, the production is performed by arrangement with Music Theatre International (Europe) Limited.

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