WORKING 9 to 5 should not be a chore for the cast of the new Dolly Parton musical, according to its biggest star Bonnie Langford.

The singer and actress says the fun and fantastical show is a great night out for the actors and audience alike.

Speaking to the Gazette, she said: "It is very funny and very silly. It is quite fantastical really and is not something terribly deep and meaningful.

"It is just good fun."

Bonnie, who has been delighting the crowds since the tender age of seven when she made her debut in Gone with the Wind at the Theatre Royal in London, is playing Roz in this brand new musical on its first national tour which started in January.

Following her highly-applauded portrayal of the Lady in the Lake in Monty Python’s hilarious comedy Spamalot last year, she is returning to the Bristol Hippodrome when 9 to 5 The Musical arrives with all its glitz and glamour on Monday, March 18.

"Women do seem to enjoy the show especially," said Bonnie, also a television regular having appeared in Hotel Babylon, Marple, The Catherine Tate Show and as the 22nd assistant to BBC TV's Doctor Who. "Often we see ladies in sashes with birthdays or hen parties coming to see the show. It does seem to lift the atmosphere when women come dressed up and get invovled."

The musical, which features country star Dolly Parton’s biggest hit 9 to 5 as well as numerous new songs written especially for the show, tells the story of three female office workers fed up with being put upon by their male, chauvenist boss. Set in the 1970s, it refers to the way things were four decades ago when the glass ceiling was a real barrier to female empowerment.

"Because it is a new musical, to a degree we can almost create our characters ourselves," added Bonnie. "There are no people who have played it before so Roz is quite geered to me although it is not a part I normally play."

Of the show’s creator, she added: "I think everyone is a bit of a Dolly Parton fan. Everybody admires here.

"She is certainly iconic and greatly respected, and rightly so."

9 to 5 The Musical also stars Natalie Casey as Judy Bernly, Jackie Clune as Violet Newstead, Amy Lennox as Doralee Rhodes and Mark Moraghan as Franklin Hart. It runs at the Bristol Hippodrome from March 18 to 23.