9 to 5 Previews and Next to Normal

Happy Easter, everyone! I'm sitting here with my dove chocolate easter egg (be jealous) and I'm all ready to catch you up.

9 to 5
!!!!!!!!!! This show makes me soo excited. It's based on the 1980 movie "9 to 5" about three women in the work place that get fed up w/ being taken advantage of and end up kidnapping their boss and holding him hostage until they can prove that he's guilty of fraud. The movie is hilarious- it stars Dolly Parton, Jane Fonda, and Lily Tomlin. Go check it out if you haven't seen it. The musical is almost word for word the movie plus singing. It stars Allison Janney, Stephanie J. Block (Wicked, The Pirate Queen, The Boy From Oz), and Megan Hilty (Wicked).

Two things really excite me about this show:
1) Dolly Parton wrote the music. You have to understand that I raised myself on country music. This is huuuuuge for me. The music is very upbeat and fun, but has depth. "Backwoods Barbie" is the title of her new CD and also a song for Doralee, Megan's character. You can really hear the country in that song, but I haven't listened to any of the others and gone, "Country." It's a really great score.

2) Stephanie J. Block. Nuff said. Actually, not really. Ok, so Stephanie is my absolute favorite Broadway actress. Her voice is incredible. If you haven't heard her sing, go to the 9 to 5 website and go to the page where you can listen to songs from the show. Listen to "Get Out and Stay Out." This is the point where Judy is kicking her ex-husband out of her house. This song give me chills. Also, go check out her Defying Gravity on youtube (and there's an As Long As You're Mine posted of her and her husband, Sebastian Arcelus (Now starring off-broadway w/ Hunter Foster in "Happiness"), from when they were in the show together, and it's the sweetest thing evvver. <3)

9 to 5 opens the 30th (it's currently in previews.) Go see it!!

Next to Normal
I just bought the soundtrack to this last night. It has an awesome score. It's very modern and interesting. The show stars Alice Ripley as a mental mother who is convinced her dead son is still around and favors him to her living daughter. There's mucho tony tony tony talk for Alice. Guess we'll have to see. It's scheduled to open the 15th.

Jess