9 to 5 
Theatre Arts of Dukinfield & Ashton (TADAA) 
George Lawton Hall, Mossley
I’ve always been a fan of Dolly Parton’s song-writing and I’ve always preferred Dolly’s version of her own song, I Will Always Love you, the monster hit for Whitney Houston.

Carolynne Crowder (Violet), Leonie Picariello (Judy) and Elizabeth Parkin (Daralee)

As well as all the hits, Dolly has written a musical, based on her song 9 to 5, which tells the story of three women pushed to breaking point by their male chauvinist boss. They end up kidnapping him, tying him up and eventually exposing his corruption, while one of the women takes over the company they work in, as CEO.

It’s a female empowerment story set back in the late 1970s, reflected by a line one of the characters says expressing her surprise that Mary Martin was JR’s mother, which you have to be a certain age to “get”.
The version I went to see was by TADAA, the newly amalgamated amateur dramatic society made up from Dukinfield Amateur Operatic and Dramatic Society and Ashton Operatic. They’ve joined forces to concentrate their talent pool and so as not to overstretch the audience base that goes along to support them.
Their version of 9 to 5 was staged at the George Lawton Hall, a thriving multi-use venue up in the hills of Mossley. I went on a Thursday evening and it was almost full to capacity, which was heart-warming. The audience loved the show and I have to agree it was top class.
The three female leads, Carolynne Crowder (Violet), Leonie Picariello (Judy) and Elizabeth Parkin (Daralee) played their parts flawlessly, matched by pitch perfect singing and a depth of performance that did justice to the subtlety of the storyline. Director Gary Jones also played the male lead, Franklin Hart.

Gary Jones as Franklin Hart  (Image: Submitted)
I’ve seen Gary in several Am/Dram shows and he’s that special performer who could easily turn fully professional, given the right break. His direction was focussed and on point, as always.
The stand-out performer though, in my opinion, was Vicky Terry, who played Franklin’s ever loyal sidekick Roz. Vicky has her own dance school in Dukinfield and her footwork was as secure as her character acting and brilliant comic timing.

Roz’s song in the first act, Heart to Hart, was wonderfully choreographed by Jean Johnson and majestically performed by Vicky and the ensemble in matching outfits and hairstyles. It was hilarious.

The best of Am/Dram, and we have some wonderful societies in the North West of England, closely match the touring professional shows I often see in Manchester and Am/Dram has a great depth of talent within their ranks. If this is the standard we can expect from TADAA in the future, amateur theatre is in safe hands.
IAN CHEESMAN