KITTY HAWK - For its 34th season finale, Theatre of Dare is going back to the 80’s and back to the office in the bold, colorful and toe-tapping musical 9 to 5, opening May 9 in its Kitty Hawk theater.
 

“It’s a laugh-out-loud musical with a message,” laughs director Lara Parks. “I think we’ve all had bosses that haven’t treated us with the respect and recognition we deserve, and this show sets that frustration to catchy music with a revenge fantasy twist.”
 

For those that haven’t seen the hit 1980 film with Dolly Parton, Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin, the musical follows three overlooked and underappreciated office workers (Kelsey Thompson, Christine McMaster, Patrina Falacco Chappelle) who come together to take down their bigoted, chauvinistic boss (Brian White) and reinvent their workplace on their own terms.
 

The movie inspired the musical, which premiered in Los Angeles in 2008 and opened on Broadway in 2009, earning 15 Drama Desk Award nominations and Tony nominations. Featuring music from Parton and a script from Patricia Resnick, the show is a crowd pleaser just about anywhere it performs.
 

“It really is a lot of lighthearted fun,” says Kelsey Thompson, who plays Doralee, the part Dolly Parton immortalized on screen. “Great music, fun choreography, and an office full of crazy characters in comic situations. If the audience catches some subtle themes of empowerment and respect in the workplace as well, that’s icing on the cake.”
 

The production has already sold out online, but a few tickets will be available at the door, so those wanting a chance to see 9 to 5 should show up right when the theater doors open a half hour before performance time.
 

It will be one office no one will dread clocking into.
 

(Theatre of Dare’s production of 9 to 5 will be performed at 7:30 p.m. on May 9, 10, 15, 16 and 17, with 2 p.m. matinees on May 11 and 18. Online tickets are sold out, but some tickets will be available at the door on performance days. This production is rated PG-13 for some mild sexual innuendo.)