James Bowie High School’s Starlight Theatre Company most recent musical, 9-5, tells the story of three hardworking women who make a difference in their sexist work environment. I watched the Saturday show, and it is safe to say that Bowie Theater did an amazing job with conveying this musical.

Set in the late 1970s where misogyny was alive and booming, these three women end up accidentally kidnapping their boss, and start making a difference for the women in their office.

While battling sexism and uncovering secrets, these women also go through a journey of self-discovery in a world where women are looked down upon. Before watching this musical, it is important to note that there are moments of sexual assault and use of marijuana.

Bowie musicals never disappoint, and this one in particular was very exciting to watch. The music, the acting, the practical effects, everything was amazing. 9-5 is considered a triggering musical with themes of mild sexual assault, so it was nice to see Bowie cover a musical over these themes that show how unfair it used to be for women in the 1970s, especially working women who were disrespected.

The acting didn’t disappoint me, and the singing certainly blew me away. Every major character had at least one solo, and everyone sang so beautifully. The songs in this musical were also so catchy and fun to listen to, with songs ranging from funny and goofy, to romantic and calm.

This musical got a lot of laughs out of me and the audience. Watching the story of three, strong women take revenge on their bigot and sexist boss was so satisfying and entertaining.

Despite this musical portraying the sexism in the work environment for women in the 1970s, this musical also showed the journey of three women finding out what they want for themselves in a world where gender equality is not a reality.

I felt so empowered watching three “crazy” women take revenge on their boss, and change things in the office to make things fair.

Every actor did such an incredible job portraying these women and making me think that the sexist boss was actually sexist, or making me think that I was actually in the 1970s watching how women were so mistreated back then. Everyone in the musical conveyed the mistreatment of women so well that I actually started to get mad.

Something that stood out to me while watching this musical was the acting. In today’s world where the topic of gender equality is much better than that of the 1970s, it is hard to convey the sexism that women received back in those days, or even believe how badly women were treated.

Everyone in the musical conveyed the mistreatment of women so well that I actually started to get mad.

It is no secret that the Bowie theater is pretty small, thus the construction of the new theater. Despite these setbacks, the set design for this musical did not disappoint.

This shows the true dedication and teamwork that the Starlight Theatre Company encompasses.

Although there were limited props to use as furniture, the acting and the singing outweighed the limited amount of furniture that was used to display the setting.

Overall, the Starlight Theater company outdid themselves with this musical. It was entertaining to watch, while also conveying heavy topics that raise awareness of sexism, and showing girls that their gender should never be a factor on why a person mistreats them.

I would recommend anyone looking for an uplifting, inspiring performance to come watch the Starlight Theatre Company perform their 9 to 5 musical.