Dunder-Mifflin visits Lexington with this musical ‘love letter’ to ‘The Office’

Madeline Glenn Thomas never imagined as an actor that her on-stage ambitions and her at-home TV routine would ever cross paths.

But after moving to New York to further pursue her theatre career, the Nashville native and Western Kentucky University musical theatre performance graduate had this unexpectedly happen when she noticed a new musical based on one of her all-time favorite TV shows.

“I’m a huge ‘(The) Office’ fan,” she said, admitting she watched it on NBC growing up in high school and later rewatched it countless times on Netflix. “When I saw the audition breakdown, I just knew I had to get involved with this show.”

“The Office! A Musical Parody” was first created in 2018 and spent 10 months Off-Broadway before touring theaters across the country to give the TV show fans a fresh twist on the antics and relationships of the Dunder-Mifflin crew. Now, Central Kentucky will get to experience the show when it comes to the Lexington Opera House on Feb. 18 and 19.

The theatrical production sticks to the central premise of “The Office” TV show. A documentary film crew decides to do a film centered around the Dunder-Mifflin Paper Company in Scranton, Penn. This is much to the overall surprise of the employees and the particular delight of regional manager Michael Scott (played by Emma Brock).

“The Office! A Musical Parody” manages to do a lot with a little, both in its time frame and with its cast. A traveling cast of eight portrays 20 characters from the show (Thomas plays both Pam Beasley and Ellie Kemper) and takes some of the show’s most significant and memorable moments from nine seasons and packs them into one 90-minute show.

“That’s probably the most challenging aspect of it. Lots of costume changes,” Thomas said. “That’s what’s really fun about the writing is the second you think you’ve seen all the characters the musical has to offer, there is more.”

At the same time, the show’s writers/producers Bob and Tobly McSmith, who also created similar parody musicals centered around TV franchises like “Friends,” “Saved By The Bell” and “Keeping Up With The Kardashians,” manage to sneak a love for the history of musical theatre into its 20 songs with titles that “Office” die-hards should appreciate, including “That’s What She Said” and “The Dundies.”

“(It’s) one part musical theatre, one part sketch comedy show, one part, just, inside joke for fans of ‘The Office.’” Thomas said. “As both a fan of the show and a fan of musical theatre, you can appreciate it on multiple layers.”

During this nationwide tour, Thomas has had her fair share of fans come up to her and express their appreciation for being true to the essence of the show while providing something new.

“When you think of parody, you think, ‘Oh, what are they going to do to my characters?’ The fans of ‘The Office’ are so invested in these characters and these stories,” she said. “It’s not just a parody, but it’s a love letter to ‘The Office.’”

The Office! A Musical Parody

When: 7:30 p.m. Feb. 18 and 19

Where: Lexington Opera House, 401 W. Short St.

Tickets: $32-$63; 859-233-4567 or lexingtonoperahouse.com

This story was originally published February 14, 2020 at 6:00 AM.