9 to 5: Yellowknife’s new musical debuts Thursday

Yellowknife’s Ptarmigan Ptheatrics opens its new musical, 9 to 5, at the city’s Northern Arts and Cultural Centre on Thursday.

9 to 5 is an adaptation of the Parton-inspired comedy film of the same name, which is more than 40 years old.

Ptarmigan Ptheatrics director Kacie Hall says the show still resonates now.

“We’re following three women in a workplace in 1979 who have to deal with a sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot of a boss,” said Hall ahead of a dress rehearsal on Wednesday.

“We watch as they deal with relationships in the workplace, how they all have different ways of handling being a woman in that setting.

“At the time, we were at this very specific wave of feminism where we were looking at the treatment of women, especially in the professional setting. Something that all of our cast notes is we are still dealing with a lot of these issues, just in different ways.”

Hall says 9 to 5 examines how there “isn’t a right way to be a woman in today’s world, and the only right thing to do is be there for other women.”

The musical features an ensemble cast of around 35 Yellowknifers.

Hall, who has just returned from studying at the University of Lethbridge, says she was stunned by the local talent that arrived to work on the show.

“It’s very inspiring to see the amount of work that people in Yellowknife are able to put in, and also the amount of talent,” she said.

After five years, her reaction to the collective ability of Yellowknife to sing Dolly Parton numbers? “I had no clue that you knew how to sing, or act, or dance,” she recalls thinking of a succession of people as the show was cast.

“Like, it’s very, very invigorating.”

9 to 5 runs at NACC from April 25-27 and May 1-4. Tickets are available from NACC’s website.

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