Rating: ★★★
Venue: Riverside Studios, London
For the first time ever, all of Dolly Parton’s biggest hits can be experienced together in a rollicking and joyous new musical comedy. Packed with the iconic songs Jolene, 9 to 5, Islands in the Stream, I Will Always Love You, Here You Come Again and more, this lively and touching new musical tells the story of a diehard fan whose fantasy version of international icon Dolly Parton gets him through trying times. With her wit, humour and charm, Dolly teaches him a whole lot about life, love and how to pull yourself up by your bootstraps…even if your bootstraps don’t have rhinestones! This is one musical that is sure to make you smile.
With the musical already having had several productions in the US and having already embarked on a UK tour, Here You Come Again comes to London's Riverside Studios for a limited six-week run. While the production is pitched as a musical, it feels more like a fusion of musical theatre and a tribute act to the icon that is Dolly Parton.
The story focuses on 40-something-year old Kevin who is living in his parent's attic during COVID, after having relationship issues with his then boyfriend. Through the tough times, Kevin imagines his idol Dolly Parton is with him in a fantastical dreamlike reality.
Tricia Paoluccio's Dolly Parton is worthy of the ticket price alone. From her vocals, her accent, her mannerisms; she's clearly studied Dolly over a long period of time, and her depth of research shows. She embodies Dolly's personality in a way that has you believing you're witnessing Dolly Parton herself on stage, which is no small feat.
Having seen Steven Webb in Book of Mormon multiple times, it was great to see him play the leading man role he deserves. He plays the lost, hopeless man in the middle of a crisis so well, and watching his character's arc throughout the two and a half hour production is a pure joy.
There were many standout numbers from the evening, including the calm within the chaos, Love is Like a Butterfly, and the energetic, Two Doors Down. This is, of course, besides the obvious huge hits such as Jolene, 9 to 5, I Will Always Love You and Islands in the Stream.
The costumes by Paul Wills were exceptional and captured the essence of the Dolly we all know and love. They were bold, country-inspired and naturally, covered in rhinestones. The set, also by Wills, felt both homely and lived in, very much as though the audience itself were part of the set - and as the fourth wall is broken quite a lot, it worked really well.
The problem I had is that the music was fabulous, and the story was great, but the lyrics were very tentatively matched within the plot of the show, particularly in the first half. It felt forced to fit in with the show and I found it quite jarring how Dolly would appear with no real introduction or reason. As well as this, some of the jokes felt as though they didn't land as they were supposed to. However, if you're a fan of Dolly Parton, you'd struggle not to love this show.
As the show focuses heavily on the fantasy of Dolly being in Kevin's attic, the elements of magical realism are only heightened by Richard Pinner, who created the illusions that bring the magic and mystery to Dolly's presence on stage.
Here You Come Again is feel-good, surprisingly emotive and truly highlights the impact that music can have on a person, from teenage years all the way through to adulthood.
You can book tickets to Here You Come Again, here.
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