'9 to 5 - The Musical' is in Concord this Weekend

The Community Players of Concord proudly open their 2014-15 Main Stage season with “9 to 5 - The Musical.” Based on the hit 1980 film starring Dolly Parton, Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin, set in the late 1970’s, “9 to 5 - The Musical” tells the hilarious story of three female secretaries (they were not called “assistants” back then) who, through a course of outrageous events, end up improving working conditions and morale in their workplace, all while getting even with their sexist, lying, egotistical, hypocritical male boss. The show is backed by a toe-tapping score written by Dolly Parton herself, of course featuring the hit title song “9 to 5.”

The show will be performed at the Concord City Auditorium, 2 Prince Street, Concord. Tickets cost $16 for adults and $14 for juniors and seniors if purchased online before November 19th, $18 and $16 thereafter. Reserved seating tickets may be purchased online at communityplayersofconcord.org, or at the Auditorium box office, which will be open on Nov. 19, 20, 21 and 22 from 4:30 to 7:30 pm and on November 23 from 12:00 to 2:00 pm. For more ticket information, visit the above website or contact David Murdo at 603-344-4747 or nhdm@comcast.net. Friday and Saturday night audiences should note the 7:30 pm curtain time for this season. Audiences should also note that due to mature themes, parental guidance (i.e., a rating of “PG”) is suggested.

Three very different female characters lie at the heart of this story, and the Players have recruited three strong actresses -- from very different backgrounds -- to play these key roles. Director Michael Coppola could not be more pleased with these perfectly cast leads and the strong supporting actors and ensemble who surround them in this rollicking show.

Paula Demers plays “Judy” (Jane Fonda in the film), who needs to join the workforce for the first time after her cheating husband leaves her for a younger woman. Paula plays the naive, bewildered Judy with just the right comedic touch, for which she is well known to Players’ audiences. In fact, Paula’s entire family has been associated with the organization for decades.

“My father Dick Mitchell performed with the group in the 1950s, often in shows directed by the legendary Bob Stuart,” she remembered.

In the early 1980s Paula almost got to play Annie with the Players (but lost out to now-professional comedienne Sarah Silverman), and finally appeared in her first Players show in her senior year in high school -- with Bob Stuart directing. Since then, Paula has appeared in dozens ofPlayers’ shows, in both lead and ensemble roles. Indeed, she and husband Chris Demers, and their daughter Catherine Demers, are fixtures on the Players’ stage. In recent years, all three Demers have sometimes appeared in shows together, including “Big: The Musical” and last season’s “Philadelphia Story.”

“It’s a great opportunity to do something we love together,” said Paula. “Some families go off skiing; we go to rehearsals.”

Barbara Lawler plays “Violet” (Lily Tomlin in the film), the firm’s head secretary, who aspires to a management role but is repeatedly denied the opportunity.

Of her character in “9 to 5,” Barbara said, “Violet is the hardworking girl who did everything right. Yet now she’s a widow with a teenage child in a male-dominated industry. She does the work but she doesn’t get the credit. It’s a struggle that speaks to many women. She’s practical and level-headed, so it’s fun when she goes over the edge!”

Barbara has been performing and singing on stage since she was a child. As an adult, in between juggling her career and raising her children, she has been a very busy and highly regarded actress. She is no stranger to the Players, having appeared with the group at least three times, most recently as “Babe” in “The Pajama Game” in 2012. Barbara is seen on stage less frequently of late, however, because her career now takes her all over the state.

“I used to do shows back to back,” she said. “Now it has to be a show I really want to do, and it has to fit my schedule.”

Favorite roles include the Mother in “Ragtime” (for which she won Best Actress at the NH Theatre Awards), and the Witch in Into the Woods (a role she has played three times).

But the big question for the Players was always, who would play Doralee (the Dolly Parton role), the sexy southern spitfire who proves there’s more to a woman than her looks?

Enter Seraphim D’Andrea, a newcomer to the Players and a virtual ringer for the part. Seraphim was born in Pigeon Forge, TN, home of Dollywood, a theme park named for and owned by Dolly Parton herself. Though she looks quite a bit like Parton, complete with curvy figure, elaborately styled blonde hair, makeup, wardrobe and high heels, Seraphim is not your typical southern gal. With an Italian father and a Swedish mother, Seraphim traveled worldwide with her family throughout her youth and grew up speaking several languages. She is also a classically trained singer.

“Opera is what I mainly do,” she said.

Seraphim left home at a young age to start performing on the streets of New York. Her looks led to a modeling job; her voice led to the theatre. She has since been a Disney Princess (both Ariel and Aurora), toured with “Miss Saigon,” been part of the London production of “Phantom,” and playedboth Broadway and Las Vegas. But in Vegas, Seraphim saw some of the darker sides of life, and decided to turn in a different direction. She left the theater for divinity school, and now finds herself in New England running a program for the homeless.

When a friend called her attention to the Players’ auditions for “9 to 5,” however, she could not resist. A lifelong Dolly Parton fan, Seraphim drives a pink VW Bug with “Backwoods Barbie” emblazoned on the back -- a nickname she had picked up for herself even before Parton wrote a song of that name that is now part of the show! Doralee was a part she felt born to play. The southern accent you hear? It’s the real thing.

Still, she was nervous about trying out.

“This group didn’t know me,” she said. “I’m not from around here. I didn’t know what they’d make of this strange girl with this strange accent and all. But there was no judgment at all. It’s such a loving environment.”

“It’s been an amazing experience,” she continued. “To get to work with such talent -- it’s awesome to have that much respect for the people you work with. This isn’t community theatre to me. This is as professional as it gets.”

Submitted text. Courtesy photo by Michael von Redlich.