Chartiers Valley students prepare to stage ‘9 to 5: The Musical’

The hit movie “9 to 5” may have come out decades before Madelyn Sams was born, but its theme of women’s empowerment strikes a major chord with her.

“That’s personally something that I’ve always, always, always believed in,” she said. “So playing such a strong character makes me want to be a better person, and she pushes me to be braver and be more of myself. Her character really is no excuses, strong head to toe.”

The Chartiers Valley High School senior portrays Violet Newstead — she of Lily Tomlin fame — in “9 to 5: The Musical,” scheduled for 7:30 p.m. March 8-11 in the school theater. Joining her in the lead roles are fellow 12th-graders Allie Cottom as Doralee Rhodes (Dolly Parton) and Alaina Halbleib as Judy Bernly (Jane Fonda).

When the Colin Higgins-directed film reached the theaters in 1980, the plot revolving around three female employees taking revenge on their bad-guy boss reflected the period’s societal upheaval against traditional male domination.

The performances of Fonda, Tomlin and particularly Parton, who wrote and sang the Grammy Award-winning title song, helped make for a strong box-office showing, and Parton went on to compose the music and lyrics for the musical version, with book by Patricia Resnick.

“Doralee has been a very fun challenge for me,” Allie said about playing the boss’ secretary. “She’s very spunky and different from anything I’ve ever done before. So getting to know her and interacting with other characters has been new, but interesting and really fun. I have loved being able to bring her to life.”

Similarly, Alaina has enjoyed the transformative role of Judy, who’s just returning to the workforce.

“She starts very timid and sort of unsure of herself, and goes on her self-empowerment journey of finding herself again after her divorce,” Alaina said.

All three of the Chartiers Valley leads have participated in spring musicals since they were freshmen, starting with “Young Frankenstein” in early March 2020, just under the covid-19 wire.

“Our closing night was the week before everything shut down,” Allie said. “We got to perform it. We were one of the only schools in the area that did.”

Subsequent productions were “Fame” in 2021 and “Mary Poppins” last year, with Alaina playing the title character.

“We try to get them a range over four years of different things to experience,” director Kim Giffin said.

She views “9 to 5” as having lasting relevance, despite the musical being set in the late ’70s.

“Some of themes that are in this show still ring true with these generations coming up,” she said, “and even if they didn’t grow up knowing the movie, I think they find a lot of attachment to those same sorts of themes.”

Along with directing, she does the choreography for up to 30 students who sing and dance onstage while office furniture, complete with typewriters and dial telephones, is maneuvered adroitly around everyone.

Giffin, who has been working with the school musicals since 2009, is a Chartiers Valley graduate who once performed in such productions.

“This is what I wanted to come back and do,” she said. “My director at the time was near retirement. I told her, ‘I want to come back, and I want to be you. I want to give back, the way that you did.’ So it’s really been very cool to see my dream come true in that way.”

As far as “9 to 5: The Musical,” the rehearsals are pointing toward an entertaining evening for audience members.

“This cast is working so incredibly hard, and I’m just so individually proud of every single one of them,” Madelyn said. “We all are here for the same reason, and we all are just working hard for the person next to us.”

For more information, visit cvsdtheatre.com/hsmusical.