Written by Bruce Vilanch, Gabriel Barre, and Tricia Paoluccio
With Additional Material by Jonathan Harvey
Directed by Gabriel Barre
Tickets: from £26.00
Pour yourself that cup of ambition, strap on those high heels to 'look a lil taller' and head along to the party Two Doors Down at the Edinburgh Playhouse and get the rest of the potential Dolly Parton puns out of your system before entering Bruce Vilanch, Gabriel Barre, and Tricia Paoluccio's newest Dolly jukebox; Here You Come Again.
Taking a very different approach to Dolly's 9 To 5, this newest musical extravaganza may retain the jukebox elements of the Country legend's (and others) discography, but Here You Come Again builds itself as a comedic play, with musical elements which lead to large-scale performances to enhance the plot, character, and various issues the production opens up about. Rightly so, placing itself slap-bang in the middle of the 2020 COVID lockdown, Kevin is hitting a cross-roads mid-life crisis in the struggles of isolating in his parent's attic. There's only one brand of magic which might get through to Kevin's self-deprecating behaviour. He just has to figure out if the Dolly Parton who materialises in his bedroom is an angel, a hangover, or an ill-omen of his behaviour.
Starring as Dolly Parton, writer, singer, and performer Paoluccio lives up to expectations (dismissing any reservations) audiences may have had about channelling such a legendary performer. From their dialect, humour, bounce and vim, Paoluccio embodies Parton before they even hum a note – and when they do, well, the cowboy hats in the audiences aren't on for long, tossed up in appreciation in the striking vocals that cover Parton's repertoire and differing genres outside of Country. Noted for their charity and public presence, Paoluccio channels Parton's more authentic humour and Southern charm in the dramatic moments, delicately weaving and comprehending the weight of much of what the production covers, as Kevin grips with depression and harmful thoughts, their position as a writer of the show greatly aiding in their understanding of what is a joke, and what is serious.
And Here You Come Again isn't all glitter and gingerbread men. Barre's direction pushes the humour into a few avenues of the cartoonish but then flips the other way making for melodramatic angst. Paoluccio and Steven Webb's lead performances switch between easy-going and more profound. It takes time to get used to, but demonstrates the upheaval of life very accurately – and intelligently. In many ways, they bottle every colour of the rainbow as Webb's Kevin gets to grips with some life truths. Comedy is firmly at the heart of the show, even in Lizzi Gee's choreography which works in plenty of impressive movements around the set and makes the most of the more domestic setting.
Living the designer's dream, Paul Wills recreates Parton's legendary outfits in a manner which showcases the evolution of style (both for the performer and historically). But the dazzle and spectacle extend beyond the glittering gowns and cowboy boots with a full-scale Attic set dressing that, while twinkling in fairy lights (Tim Deiling's effective lighting design here) conjures every teen's dream bedroom, is a claustrophobic environment for the narrative, but thrusts itself forward to accommodate a more gig-theatre aesthetic This gig-theatre vibe puts backing vocalists and side-character performers Aidan Cutler and Charlotte Elisabeth Yorke with bandmates Alex Akira Crawford, Ben Scott, and Kevin Oliver Jones, and in its structure and welcome audiences into the space, as much as it enhances Kevin's isolation.
Much of Steven Webb's brilliantly nuanced performance comes from this sense of isolation – in a literal form due to the Pandemic, but also in his framing of Kevin as a man entering his forties, back at home, single, and without focus (a very prevalent character for many in the audience, we suspect). Vocally, Webb stands toe-to-toe with Paoluccio, with their solos being as warmly received by the audience as any of Paoluccio's full-blown Dolly numbers. And while the narrative does struggle (four years on, and we're already tiring of COVID fatigue and trauma), Webb channels such a growing performance, empowering and bolstering themselves across the story, that it's impossible not to note the talent and ability the cast has to lift a weaker narrative, full of tropes, into a solid crowd-pleaser with a heart as big as its, um, namesake.
For the lovers, the dreamers, and the Parton fans, Here You Come Again holds up against expectations and casually brushes away any neigh-sayers by providing a fantastic new musical which does everything it sets out to do and more: spread a message of hope and love for yourself, for others, and yes, for Dolly. Listen to yourself, and 'come on down' to the Edinburgh Playhouse to see why the answer to; 'Did we need another Dolly Parton jukebox', is a resounding yes.
For the Lovers and Dreamers
Here You Come Again runs at the Edinburgh Playhouse until July 27th
It then tours to His Majesty's Theatre, Aberdeen Tuesday 30 July – Saturday 3rd August
Followed by the King's Theatre, Glasgow, Tuesday 1 – Saturday 5 October
Running time - Two hours and twenty minutes with one interval
Review by Dominic Corr - contact@corrblimey.uk
Editor for Corr Blimey, and a freelance critic for Scottish publications, Dominic has been writing freelance for several established and respected publications such as BBC Radio Scotland, The Skinny, Edinburgh Festival Magazine, The Reviews Hub, In Their Own League The Wee Review and Edinburgh Guide. As of 2023, he is a member of the Critic's Award for Theatre Scotland (CATS) and a member of the UK Film Critics.
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