It’s a good rule in life to have a fundamental distrust for anyone who doesn’t like Dolly Parton.
What’s not to love? The very definition of a self-made woman, an outrageously talented musician, songwriter and vocalist, hilariously funny, notoriously sharp, endearingly self-deprecating, larger than life (not just in the mammary department) and one of the world’s most generous philanthropists.
So if you’re going to produce a stage show honouring the glory of Dolly, you had better be ready to bring it. All of it. Whatever ‘it’ is.
Co-creator Tricia Paoluccio takes on the lead role of a fairy godmother Dolly in Here You Come Again, appearing to down and out 40-something Kevin, played by Dash Kruck.
Parton: iconic
The production is punctuated by performances of some of Parton’s most iconic – and some lesser known – songs as she inspires Kevin to ‘look out of windows, not in mirrors’, and to pick himself up after a series of career setbacks as well as breaking with his boyfriend, Jeremy.
While Kruck fell victim to some unnecessary over-acting, he and the rest of the cast generally did a great job and Paoluccio was solid as Dolly. But there’s a fine line between love letter and tacky tribute show and unfortunately, this show crosses that line frequently across its duration.
Parton: camp
A show honouring a character like Dolly Parton needs to lean into the camp. This show had moments of camp and comedic glory, but ultimately it didn’t lean in hard enough.
However, the writing and weak storyline are ultimately what lets this show down, despite input from heavyweights Bruce Vilanch (a comedy writer known for his appearances on Hollywood Squares and his iconic red-framed glasses) and Gabriel Barre (Paoluccio’s husband and a Broadway director).
The production was adapted for an Australian audience by Fiona Harris and Mike McLeish (co-creators of short form series The Drop Off).
As good as Paoluccio is in the lead role (and make no mistake, she is good), she is not Dolly, so her performance alone simply isn’t enough to carry this show to excellence.
There were highlights, mostly in the second half, but there were too many moments when Here You Come Again felt like a relentless saccharine slapping, with endless optimism that starts to feel laboured and grating.
The world needs more joyous, uplifting, Dolly-charged fun right now, and there were moments of this sort of unbridled joy in the production, mostly centred on Paoluccio performing some of Parton’s biggest hits, and also when the jokes hit just the right spot and so landed with the audience, providing real belly-laughs.
Often these laughs were driven by the secondary cast, who demonstrated both musical excellence and exceptional comedic timing.
The good news is that if you are a big enough Parton fan to go and sing along, avoid looking too closely at the show and simply enjoy Paoluccio’s solid impersonation and vocal performance without expecting too much more, a fun night will be had by all.
Here You Come Again is currently playing at Comedy Theatre, Melbourne and stars Tricia Paoluccio, Dash Kruck, Kellie Rode, Bailey Dunnage, Laura Joy Bunting and Andrew Worboys. For more information, and for the show’s Perth, Sydney, Newcastle, Canberra and Adelaide dates, visit the Here You Come Again website.
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