A jukebox musical based around the songs of Dolly Parton heads into Birmingham.
Here You Come Again is now playing at The Alexandra Theatre in Birmingham.
Music legend Dolly Parton has broken records across the world with her artistry and her star continues to shine, and her life and outlook continues to inspire fans and musicians.
Dolly’s I Will Always Love You gave Whitney Houston a landmark record that became the best-selling single of all time by a female solo artist. Dolly used some of the royalties from the record to invest in the Black community in Nashville.
In 2020 Dolly donated $1million to coronavirus research with the aim of finding a vaccine.
That was one of the springboards that inspired the writers of the Dolly stage show Here You Come Again.
Director Gabriel Barre and his wife Tricia Paoluccio, who performs the lead role in Dolly, both share the writing credit with Bruce Vilanch and Coronation Street writer Jonathan Harvey.
The story which the writing team has crafted around the music of Dolly Parton centres on a man named Kevin dealing with separation and depression during the Covid pandemic in Yorkshire.
Kevin spends his days up in the attic - which is authentically designed by Paul Wills - listening to the timeless songs of Dolly on his record player.
The songs become the catalyst that gives hope to Kevin to overcome the pain and heartache he’s experiencing.
Dolly magically transports herself into Kevin’s life like a modern day version of Mary Poppins and she guides him towards happiness and a new outlook.
The downside to the tale is the way it relies too much on sarcastic puns and poorly written comedy that unhinges the show and makes it uneven. The humour comes across as juvenile and lacks warmth or heart.
From the very start of her career and throughout the years, Dolly has had to battle with male chauvinism, bigotry, misogyny, and a even a lack of respect from critics who were only to eager to praise and promote male artists while disregarding Dolly's incredible talent as a singer-songwriter.
Sadly, the new jukebox musical featuring the legendary songs of Dolly fails to treat the singer with the respect that is due her. The irreverence shown to the classic back catalogue of Dolly songs is misplaced in what should have been a truly joyous, glitzy and energetic feel-good show.
Tricia Paoluccio is excellent as Dolly, with an excellent singing voice, and she captures the legendary Country and Western singer’s mannerisms and infectious laughter. Paul Wills's stunningly designed costumes compliment Paoluccio’s performance.
However, through no fault of her own, most of Dolly’s evergreen songs are truncated and only portions are sung by Paoluccio. These medley versions rob the show of its heart and soul which is the music of Dolly that continues to attract new fans.
This show has the potential to be something special but the writers choose to focus the spotlight on the wafer-thin plot rather than placing Dolly’s music at the forefront and allowing those memorable melodies to sparkle and dazzle the audience.
Verdict: ★★★
Here You Come Again is now playing at The Alexandra Theatre in Birmingham until Saturday 14 September
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