Bailey Hanks to Star in 9 TO 5 THE MUSICAL at Clarksville's Roxy Regional Theatre

Broadway star Bailey Hanks will take on the role of Doralee Rhodes in The Roxy Regional Theatre's upcoming production of Dolly Parton's 9 to 5 The Musical, which opens at the Clarksville venue on September 14.

Hanks, winner of MTV's The Search for Elle Woods, went on to lead the Broadway cast of Legally Blonde. The South Carolina native now makes her home in Hendersonville, Tennessee.

9 to 5 The Musical will kick off The Roxy's 30^th anniversary season in downtown Clarksville and will run through October 13.

Featuring music and lyrics by Dolly Parton-who starred in the film version of 9 to 5 with Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda-and featuring a book by Patricia Resnick, 9 to 5 The Musical ran for 148 performances and 24 previews on Broadway and garnered 15 Drama Desk Award nominations and four Tony Award nominations. Megan Hilty, Stephanie J. Block and Allison Janney headed the Broadway company, with Marc Kudisch as Franklin Hart.

The musical's first national tour, which launched at Nashville's Tennessee Performing Arts Center,  starred Dee Hoty, Mamie Parris and Diana DeGarmo, with First Night Award winner Joseph Mahowald as Franklin Hart. A United Kingdom tour will begin in October, with an eye toward a West End opening to follow.

For details about 9 to 5 The Musical at The Roxy Regional Theatre, go to www.roxyregionaltheatre.org or call (931) 645-7699.

Jeffrey Ellis is a Nashville-based writer, editor and critic, who's been covering the performing arts in Tennessee for more than 25 years. He is the recipient of the Tennessee Theatre Association's Distinguished Service Award for his coverage of theatre in the Volunteer State and was the founding editor/publisher of Stages, the Tennessee Onstage Monthly. He is a past fellow of the National Critics Institute at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre Center and is the founder/executive producer of The First Night Honors, held during Labor Day Weekend, which honor oustanding theater artists in Tennessee in recognition of their lifetime achievements and includes The First Night Star Awards and the Most Promising Actors. Midwinter's First Night, held the first Sunday in January after New Year's Day, honors outstanding productions and performances throughout the state. Further, Ellis directed the Nashville premiere of La Cage Aux Folles, The Last Night of Ballyhoo and An American Daughter, as well as award-winning productions of Damn Yankees, Company, Gypsy and The Rocky Horror Show, with Ellis honored by The Tennessean as best director of a musical for both Company and Rocky Horror.

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