Working 9 To 5 is one way to make a living – and so is being dragged along the stage by one leg after cavorting around in a basque in a hilarious “tango gone wrong”.
And actor Julia J Nagle says that moment for her character, Roz, is her favourite part in Dolly Parton’s smash musical, which opens at Eden Court in Inverness tonight.
It’s at that point Roz has audiences in stitches – despite being the “office snitch” who aids and abets sexist and egotistical boss, Franklin Hart Jr, in Dolly’s rip-roaring story of female empowerment.
“There’s a dream sequence that (Roz) has where she’s imagining she’s dancing with Mr Hart who she’s madly in love with. It’s kind of a tango gone wrong and the audience just loves the absolute crazy silliness of it,” said Julia.
“It’s me being dragged along by one leg by Mr Hart in a red and black basque and sliding down his leg in a very ungainly manner and falling in a crumpled heap on the floor.
Wiping away tears of laughter
“To hear people laughing that hard – you sometimes see them wiping a tear away from their eye – is just so nice.”
But for all she’s grown to love that moment in the show, Roz admits she had to take a deep breath when she first found out what was involved in her role in the 9 To 5 tour.
“I hadn’t seen the show, so everything in rehearsal was a surprise. It was ‘have we told you about the red and black basque?’” said Julia.
“When they first mentioned it, I was like ‘oh, crikey’, we have just been through lockdown and there was quite a lot of just sitting indoors and, as for most of the nation, quite a bit of weight gain,” she laughed.
Julia loves playing Roz, describing it as one of her favourite roles, despite not being the most likeable character, given her tendency to tittle-tattle on her colleagues, three co-workers who are determined to turn the tables on their despicable boss.
“She absolutely loves her job and just wants everything to be just right – and there’s the fact she has all this unrequited love aimed at Mr Hart, but every time he sees her, he goes to be sick,” said Julia.
Dolly Parton’s music makes 9 To 5 a hit
“There’s a moment in act two where she opens her briefcase and it’s like a little shrine to him. She sings a really sweet song about how she hates the hours she’s not at work.
“I think the audience come round then and realise she’s not just all office snitch, but this real person madly in love with someone who doesn’t love her back.”
Julia says it’s great to be in theatres after the pandemic lockdown and she’s loving seeing audiences having a good time, night after night on the tour.
“After what everyone has just been through, to see the audience standing, singing, clapping along, you just think ‘this is what everyone needs’.”
Julia also has no doubt about why 9 To 5 – based on the 1980s film – has been such a huge hit and is still filling theatres wherever it goes.
“It’s the music of Dolly Parton, the songs she has written in this show are just so good. Even if you only know the actual song 9 To 5 and you’ve never heard the rest of the show, each song is so varied and so well put together,” she said.
Eden Court audiences will be singing along
“And then there’s the energy the show has, and the laughs and the silliness – as well as some big ballads.”
Dolly is closely involved in the production of her show, even down to casting decisions, but Julia hasn’t yet had a chance to meet her.
“Our auditions this time were taped. When I got the call to say I had the gig, the first sentence my agent said was: ‘Dolly Parton has approved you’. It’s not every day that someone rings and tells you that.”
Now she hopes Eden Court audiences will give their seal of approval to the show as she performs in Inverness for the first time in her stage career.
“I’m super excited… I don’t know how I’ve managed it all these years in the business, but I’ve never managed to play Inverness, and this is it, this is the one,” said Julia.
“Just be ready to have a good time, to clap along, sing along and laugh your socks off.”
9 To 5 – The Musical will be at Eden Court’s Empire Theatre until Saturday November 27. For more information and tickets visit eden-court.co.uk