This year's event was hosted by comedian Jason Schommer, whom I have not previously had the pleasure of seeing on stage. He told his own delightfully charming story of meeting the legend Dolly Parton, introduced each of the five companies, and stretched when needed to cover the tech changes between them.
Third Space Theater - "The company that brought you Golden Lanyard winning Breach in 2025, known for to connecting communities, encouraging conversation, and providing opportunities for engagement and action."
This was perhaps the most straight-forward narrative of any of the fifths, but still done in Third Space style. They told the opening of the movie in solo monologues from each of the main characters, with the other actors frozen in a workplace tableau, using cool lighting effects. But they tweaked and exaggerated the story enough to make it sharp and relevant, and a bit absurd.
Songversations - "Dynamic duo Rhiannon Fiskradatz and Shanan Custer relate intersectional feminism through song, story and ritual."
I've seen Shanan many times on stage, and Rhiannon a couple of times, but I've never seen them together, and now I will make a point to see Sonversations whenever I can (hopefully May 9-10 at Bryant Lake Bowl). They completely forwent any pretense at narrative storytelling and instead used the movie as a jumping off point to provide biting commentary and righteous rage on the state of the world today, with songs, stories, and history. We even got to participate in a singalong directed at a few of the most egregious men in the current administration that make the movie villain look tame.
an Alleged Theatre Company - "Creators of original, artist-driven theatre, comedy, and variety performances that have landed them seven Golden Lanyard awards (so far) at Minnesota Fringe."
This group (whose upcoming Fringe show is called A Fast Death of a Salesman, yes please!), applied their usual meta, fourth-wall breaking, ridiculous style to fourth fifth of the movie, playing a theater group who planned to do a fifth of the wrong movie, and then reenacting a version of the women in 9 to 5 thinking they killed their boss. So wacky and funny.
The Mess - "Veteran improvisers Rita Boersma, Mike Fotis, Jake Scott, Molly Ritchie, and James Rone bring gleeful, inane nonsense backed by hearts of gold and a national treasure (Rita)."
After a quick intermission, this fifth went off the rails very quickly. The above five goofballs all came out dressed as the boss in chains, and then they proceeded to slapstick improv their way through a list of plot points, while a clock ticks down and Rita gets more and more angry (which is kind of the best thing ever) at what the others are doing, mostly driving. This group is a "Mess" for sure - a delightfully chaotic mess.
Mermaid Productions - "The driven, determined, and dexterous Ariel Pinkerton, who brought you The Abortion Chronicles in 2025, is back with friends to smash the patriarchy."
We swiftly transitioned from the hilarity of the last two fifths and returned to the depressing, but cathartic, relevance of the first two. Ariel told a bit of the closing scenes of the movie in storytelling style, with a cast acting it out, but then jumped back into reality. She noted that the movie's "happy ending" wasn't so happy, because the boss took credit for the workplace improvements that the women made. Something that happens all too often throughout history and today, so Ariel gave us a few dozen examples of women whose accomplishments were credited to men, read by as many women from #TCTheater. It really sucks that this happens so often, but it was cathartic to boo at every instance, and then join in singing the movie's anthem "9 to 5" together.
The very different five fifths of 9 to 5 showed us the many things art can do - entertain, engage, make us laugh, make us cry, make us think, bring us together, and inspire us to make the world better. I guarantee the 33rd Minnesota Fringe Festival will do the same. I'll be there, will you?
