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UPDATE: Turns out this kept happening in previews again and again, and Dolly Parton kept singing to the audience again and again. Either 9 to 5 has the worst set problems of any stage musical, or this is just a sly PR gimmick. Phooey.
MIDNIGHT: KTLA Channel 5's Sam Rubin just emailed me to say that he was attending the world premiere of the stage musical 9 To 5 when Dolly Parton saved her show's opening night by performing impromptu from the audience. Parton starred in the original 1979 Nine To Five movie, then wrote the songs for the Broadway-bound version. But Saturday night's performance at L.A.'s Ahmanson Theater stopped 15 minutes in because of technical difficulties. That's when Parton stood up from her seat and said: "If they can't perform the show, I'll do some of it from right here," and led a sing-a-long of the title song. While power drills and electric saws buzzed from backstage, Dolly kept the audience amused for 20 minutes until the performance resumed. Now that's showbiz at its finest.
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So that explains the all the twitters and Facebook updates about how everyone enjoyed the scenery breakdown at the Ahmanson tonight.
No way the younger “stars” of today would be able to do that – most can’t even sing/perform without backup/guide tracks. Ever hear Britney Spears’ isolated vocals from her concerts? It’s enough to make any entertainment person vomit knowing someone can get so far with so little.
You gotta admire the flair of the old fashioned all-round entertainers who have enough experience performing live, and by that I mean really live, to do that.
Too many modern “stars” couldn’t order lunch without a script and a dialogue coach.
Way to go Dolly.
There’s such a difference between a star like Dolly and, oh, almost every young singer today. Imagine Jessica Simpson in the same circumstances.
Take note all you so-called whatevers,
This is how a “Pro” does it.
According to an NPR piece about the show on Saturday morning, this happened at one of their early previews as well. Technical difficulties, Parton in the audience, impromptu show. Also, per the NPR interview, the set is nearly always moving and very tech heavy. Unless they are planning on making Parton a regular part of the show, they’d better get those problems ironed out.
I saw 9 to 5 with my wife last week. It was dreadful. And whoever hired Allison Janney to sing should immediately be sent to Guantanamo.
Ditto the above posters. Dolly could sit on an empty stage with a guitar and entertain a crowd for hours. (with songs she wrote!) Gal’s got a great sense of humor, too. They don’t make em like that anymore.
I love Dolly, and I think this sounds like a really fun and exciting theatrical moment, but…is it totally cynical of me to wonder if the technical difficulties on opening night were planned? The same “technical difficulties” happened during previews, with the same result of Dolly getting up and performing, I read about it in the Times two weeks ago:
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/soundboard/2008/09/dolly-parton-gi.html
You’d think they’d be able to work out the kinks in two weeks…maybe it was so much fun the first time, they thought they’d give their opening night audience an extra treat?
I just kind of HOPE it was planned because I’m going to see the show next week and I want some surprise Dolly action then too. She’s such a classy, solid performer.
This reminds me of something I witnessed many years ago at the Muni Opera in St. Louis. This is an outdoor amphitheater seating close to 20,000 people that hosts Broadway musicals during the summer.
That season, the hottest show on Broadway was a revival of the 1920’s musical “Irene” starring Debbie Reynolds. They brought the entire NY cast to St. Louis for its one week sold-out run at the Muni. It started to rain in the middle of a performance, forcing the show to stop for close to an hour.
Ms. Reynolds declared, “These people paid to be entertained so I’m going to entertain them,” and proceeded to do songs from her old movies until the rain let up and the stage was dried off enough to resume the performance. Talk about a trooper!
She was also very gracious about greeting fans and signing autographs at the stage door.
Talk about the virtues of being an Old School Star. Gotta respect that.
There have been breakdowns several times in previews, but Dolly Parton has not been there every night to sing through them, so you can forget about this being a publicity stunt. I was there last night and the set problems were very real. Of course, everyone was hoping for a breakdown, with Dolly in the audience. She was just about to sing a second song when they got the problem fixed, and everyone was disappointed she didn’t continue… The show is a certifiable hit, by the way.
Debbie Reynolds IS a class act. They don’t make ‘em like her anymore.
Funny in film, great on television, why she isn’t performing on my TV screen each week on some show is just bewildering.
Give that woman a series! She doen’st have to be the star, but let her come in, wow the audience, and wait for her next scene. I’d sure tune in each week!
I saw this show during previews. It was good fun, and, as far as I could tell, there were absolutely no technical difficulties. Alas, that means I missed Dolly. I would have gladly sat through a technical delay to see her in action.
Still, the show was very entertaining!
Saw this last Sunday with my wife. Loved it. Loved it. Not a technical hitch in the whole thing when we went. I thought the sets were really impressive. Allison Janey was fantastic. Megan Hilty was simply brilliant. Howled at the anti-George Bush joke at the end. This should be a hit.
The anti-Bush joke you liked at the end is gone now. Too many complaints.
Saw Debbie Reynolds in a one woman show in Vegas a couple years ago and she can still sing dance and tell jokes like the legend she is.
Good times and great legs.
Dave is right, she should be working.
I was at the opening Saturday night. It was the most fun I’ve had at the theater in years. Dolly outdid herself. The score offers each of the leads a chance to shine and shine they do. Each one gives a strong Musical Comedy performance without becoming cartoony (except when necessary). Aside from needing a little tightening and some opening night jitters after the scenery malfunction, it’s a smash! Today i got a second set of tickets.
As far as the technical difficulties are concerned, they’re legit. I ran into one of the CTG tech people last week and asked about the cancelled previews and stopped performances. I was told that this is the biggest, heaviest and most complex technical show ever in the Ahmanson (yes even worse than the helicopter in Miss Saigon). So much so that it will have to be downsized to fit on the Marquis Theater stage when it moves to New York. When it works (most of the time) it’s a truely amazing piece of stagecraft.
The Cast is Great! The Score is Great! Even the Set is Great! on second thought, ignore everything I said. I might want to see it a third time! I’m booking tickets for opening night in New York!
I was indeed in the audience on Saturday night, sitting directly behind Ms. Parton, and I can tell you that the only thing better than the impromptu performance (cheered on by Lily Tomlin and a rocking out Jane Fonda)was the phenomenal show. This will be the biggest show in New York this season and then, I’m sure, in every town between the two coasts for many years to come. Lest we forget, this show is from the man who already did the imposible once–turned Showtime into the preeminent cable network trumping the once-glorious and now faded HBO. Well now Bob Greenblatt’s going to be the second Hollywood producer (after Marc Platt) to get rich(er) from a Broadway show. Both the show and Greenblatt deserve every great review they have coming to them–trumped themselves only by the great reviews that Miss Dolly will get from her music and her fan-fantasy audience concerts….
Why “Phooey,” Nikki? What happened to the days when people appreciated a little phony PR stuntwork? A little imagination? A little pizzaz? That’s what used to make show business “show biz.” Relax and let her have her fun if that’s all this is.