This show is a musical version of the movie of the same name with music and lyrics by Dolly Parton and premiered in Los Angeles in 2008. A national tour followed in the US in 2010 followed by a UK premiere in 2012 and just this year has a new production as part of a fringe festival in the UK.

Witham AOS gave this production a bright breezy feel with a large cast of Principals, Dancers, Dancing Chorus and Ensemble. An introduction on screen by Dolly Parton set the scene for a thought provoking show.

The ladies figured mainly in this production, and all were very well cast, with Matilda Bourne as Judy the new member of staff, Diana Easton as Violet a force to be reckoned with when her promotion was at risk, Sarah Miles as Doralee the office glamour girl, and Rhianna Howard as Roz, totally devoted to Franklin Hart as his PA.

All these ladies made their characters so personal and different from the office which was excellent; all with strong and tuneful singing voices. I felt they all took command of the story line so well.

Although very much a show featuring the ladies we had some very competent lead gentlemen in a variety of characters from Niels Bradley as Franklin Hart Jnr, the boss of Consolidated Industries, with a rather keen eye for the ladies. Niels played this character very well and seemed at ease despite the many antics and situations which unfolded throughout the performance.

Dannii Carr as Joe, an employee of the company, was very competent in his role, and in his duet with Violet had a very pleasing singing voice. Both were good on the harmonies and gave a really enjoyable performance. I liked Emma Loring’s Margaret, rather fond of a drink or three, and a delightful, dizzy lady. There were many cameo roles in this production, many were the factory staff where most of the scenes were staged.

All the chorus numbers were very well sung with lots of harmonies coming through which I always enjoy. At times the band were a little loud, however with MD James Tovey good tempi were maintained and the soloists were well supported. A very vital contribution to this production is to keep all the sung numbers going well.

There was little scenery, but with various pieces of furniture and good stage curtains it all worked very well. The dancing was excellent with the whole cast at times involved in some enjoyable and energetic routines. Good lighting also enhanced the routines.

This was another well-directed production from Nikki Mundell- Poole who gets a company very involved in the overall results.