Here You Come Again is part play, part musical and part Dolly Parton concert, born from an idea during the COVID pandemic days by Tricia Paoluccio. Gifted with the unique ability to sing like Dolly Parton, and as a life-long fan of the country music icon, Tricia Paoluccio decided to write a musical featuring Dolly Parton’s music. Rather than a create a biographical musical of Dolly Parton’s life, Paoluccio had a vision to create a story where Dolly Parton is presented as a “rhinestone clad, no nonsense fairy Godmother”.
Paoluccio teamed up with writer and director Gabriel Bare, and then comedy writer Bruce Vilanch, to develop the show’s narrative and humour. Further adaptations were made by Jonathan Harvey for a UK tour, and now Mike McLeish and Fiona Harris have adapted it for the Australian premiere. And it was all produced in arrangement with Dolly Parton herself.
Here You Come Again tells the story of Kevin, a man in his 40s facing a midlife crisis as he deals with a relationship breakup, having to move back into the attic of his parent’s Bendigo home during the COVID pandemic, a struggling career and general lack of purpose in life. In a moment of desperation, Kevin reaches out to his music idol – Dolly Parton – who appears to him like a guardian angel, ultimately teaching him to stop looking in mirrors and instead start looking out windows.
Here You Come Again is not your regular musical and strays away from the usual recipe. No doubt, the opening dialogue of the show seemed long for the opening night audience who are accustomed to a character breaking out in song within a matter of minutes. The lengthy sections of dialogue with Dolly Parton’s songs interspersed through the story. Many of us pop on a favourite album to sing or cry along to during times of sadness and despair, but for Kevin those songs are brought to life by Dolly Parton in his bedroom attic. The songs are not necessarily used to tell Kevin’s journey, but rather for Dolly to provide insights into her life and the lessons she has learnt to help Kevin navigate through his own challenges. Despite all of Kevin’s woes, Here We Come Again remains upbeat and fun, proving to be an enjoyable evening of entertainment.
The story has a quirky Australian vibe to it and for those of still dealing with COVID in our everyday lives (such as everyone in the public health system), the COVID story thread is still just as relevant, but far enough away from the lockdown era that can we finally have a good laugh about it. Kevin dropping his massive packet of toilet paper and spraying everything with Glen 20 received plenty of laughs.
The set (designed by Paul Willis) is surprisingly detailed, with everything from a Chucky Doll to Christmas decorations and even a Humphrey B Bear! It’s the sort of intricate set that had us chatting on the way home, asking each other if we’d noticed certain items. Sitting on the roof line of Kevin’s attic is the band, and at times, supporting cast. A platform on stage right is used at various times during the show when someone outside of Kevin’s attic is speaking, but they were too far back for anyone at the far edge of the audience to see.
Costume and make up by Jenni Langford are perfect and recreate the iconic Dolly Parton looks.
A stunning lighting design Jason Bovaird immediately transports the audience from Kevin’s attic to what feels like a Dolly Parton concert, without a single word needing to be spoken. We move from warm, homely hues to bright dazzling stage lights, and then back again. There are several magical moments through the show and Bovaird’s lighting design is integral to making this magic happen. Fairy lights are strung around Kevin’s bedroom and are very reminiscent of my own adult children’s bedrooms!
Marcello Lo Ricco’s well balanced sound design ensures every note of these iconic Dolly Parton’s songs can be enjoyed.
Bringing those glorious songs to life are Musical Director Andrew Worboys. The multi-talented Worboys contributed to the orchestrations for the show, and also plays the role of Kevin’s Dad! Joining Worboys (keyboard) in the band and are Tina Harris (bass), Luke Herbert (drums) and Ash Murdica (guitar). The band is small in size, but rich in sound.
But the key to the success of this show lies with Tricia Paolucci’s portrayal of Dolly Parton. To say she understands Dolly Parton is an understatement. She has the vibrato in her voice, the swagger in her walk, the cheeky glint in her eye, the kindness in her smile and the sassiness in her demeanor. Close your eyes and you could easily convince yourself this was Dolly Parton you were listening to. Paolucci is extraordinary in this role and worth the price of the ticket alone. Her rendition of ‘I Will Always Love You’ in the finale gave me goosebumps. Where Paolucci truly excels is in presenting the kindness and humanitarian side of Dolly Parton.
Dash Kruck is adorable as Kevin. Life has thrown Kevin some curveballs, through no fault of his own, and by the end of the show you’re wanting things to work out well. Sometimes we just need a fairy godmother to help us achieve our happily ever after ending – and in Kevin’s case his happens to be Dolly Parton.
The supporting cast of Kellie Rode, Bailey Dunnage and Laura Joy Bunting are all excellent, and have their own moments to shine.
Here You Come Again features many of Dolly Parton’s greatest hits – ‘Here You Come Again’, ‘Nine To Five’, ‘I Will Always Love You’ and ‘Jolene’ and fans of Dolly Parton will not be disappointed. This part play, part musical and part Dolly Parton concert is a couple of hours of light-hearted fun and solid gold entertainment. If you’re a fan of Dolly Parton, this show is a must see.
Here You Come Again is now playing at the Comedy Theatre in Melbourne for a limited season before embarking on a tour – and an encore Melbourne season.
For more information and tickets: https://hereyoucomeagain.com.au/
Photo credit: Cameron Grant
