QUICK TAKES - May 2, 2009

The musical adaptation of the 1980 film “9 to 5,” which had its world premiere last September at the Ahmanson Theatre in L.A., has opened on Broadway to tepid reviews.

Ben Brantley of the New York Times spared no feelings by calling the production “an overinflated whoopee cushion.”

Chris Jones of the Chicago Tribune wrote that the show wasn’t cohesive. He added that it “ultimately dissolves into a digitally enhanced and over-produced re-creation of famous scenes from the film.”

Michael Kuchwara of the Associated Press called the musical a “mixed bag” but was generally pleased with the songs by Dolly Parton.

Meanwhile, David Rooney at Variety praised the cast, writing that they “do dandy work re-creating those characters [from the movie] with enough freshness to rise above mere imitation.”

-- David Ng