JADAR

★★★★☆

Here you come again is a surprising, fun and energetic show filled with a range of Dolly Parton hits and a emotional yet empowering story in a nice twist on the jukebox genre.

It’s an unusual jukebox musical exploring the emotions and feelings of one character through the music and magical appearance of Dolly Parton.

Unusually for a show featuring the iconic Dolly Parton (Tricia Paoluccio), the story focuses on life-long fan Kevin (Stephen Webb) who finds comfort in her music after the end of a gruelling on-and-off again relationship and a lay-off at work.

Set during the COVID pandemic and subsequent lockdown, the audience is transported into Kevin’s little bubble – his old attic bedroom space in his parent’s house. This set by Paul Wills (also the costume designer) is incredibly detailed. The stretch of Kevin’s room is littered with Dolly Parton posters and consists of a Spider-Man-themed bed matching the nostalgic, old-room vibe, a tiny bathroom, a window he uses as the entrance, a hot-pink flamingo, and a full skeleton on his clothing rail (I guess he has skeletons in his closet).

His attic is similarly chaotic, with childhood toys, a creepy Chucky doll I never took my eyes off (I wish it moved as a gag!), board games, with chimneys and roof tops warmly lit just above his little intimate world.

Dolly also uses this attic space, zapping the backing band into existence, which was a great use of levelling.

It starts a little heavy footed with off-handed remarks and an awkward stand-up routine about the pandemic, with cliché jokes about stocking up on toilet roll, the over-use of sanitiser, and references to party-gate during ‘Two Doors Down’ – all products associated with the time it was written in but overused and clunky clichés by today’s standards (and perhaps a touch too soon).

Additionally, the story’s pacing initially feels rather sparse, with the typical jukebox musical trope of shoe-horning in songs for no apparent reason while the plot very slowly reveals new things about Kevin.

Despite its initial approach, the story slowly endears itself to the audience. Kevin’s story of self-doubt and self-loathing is one all too many people have been through and perfectly summarises the spirals of depression and “p-holes” or “pity holes” faced during times of loneliness.

The loss of his job reminds him of his dreams to be a stand-up comedian; the awkward comedy routine from the start now feeling perfectly suited to his inexperience. The break-up and make-up texts from his Dolly Parton-hating boyfriend reminding him of his past love and sending him into a spiral of frustration.

Despite Dolly’s best attempts to entertain and advise him on to a better path, his heart-breaking glances at the mirror make him feel like “nothing”. The slower pacing, while occasionally hindering the feeling of advancement between songs, also reflects the never-ending search for entertainment during the pandemic.

These moments of despair are presented so nauseatingly authentic and raw by Webb. His complicated relationship with Dolly during the swings of his depression (from babbling fan to pained loner) are evocatively emotional. He infuses all of his heart and soul into the performance, whether it’s that awkward and slightly nerdy theatre kid who over-explains his jokes and eats way too many cheese-puffs, the campy and energetic Dolly Parton fan relatably singing and dancing on his bed, or the heartbreaking reflection of self-hatred.

The increasingly great jokes seem to reflect his growing confidence with subtle movie, theatre and pop culture references that had me howling – some subtle, some terrible dad-jokes, and some hilariously set-up masterpieces.

Surprisingly, I left the show thinking Webb stole the show, and my thoughts were echoed by the mutters of several other audience members on my way to the car park. His impalpable liveliness is contagious and had the whole audience bursting with laughter as he darted about the stage with this new found lust for life, periodically broken by his sense of frustration.

The hilariously flirtatious performance as the red -haded (or in this case red fabric-draped) Jolene during Dolly’s number of the same name was simply incredible (and so much fun!), as was the brilliant lip-syncing performance in drag as Dolly, and cringe-inducing flossing (it was set in the pandemic after all).

It takes a lot of energy for one performer to stand out this much, especially against an extravagant character like Dolly, but Webb’s performance took the cake.

Paoluccio – a co-writer of the original production, before it was rewritten for the UK – perfectly encapsulates every aspect of Dolly Parton’s persona. She has a soft and caring attitude, a country twang, a gorgeously supple vocal range that captures Dolly’s spark, and importantly… big hair! She’s charismatic, charming, and captivating as Dolly should be, and both her vocals and dialogue are surprisingly close to the real deal.

Hilariously, Dolly Parton is written as a mystical figure. Initially, I found the concept hard to buy. Are we led to believe this is really Dolly Parton helping some random fan? Is this all in his head? Is he a Dolly daydreamer?! Ultimately, we never get the answer, but I grew to love this mysticism and the contradictory takes on her existence.

She enters his life like a magical enigma, covered in all the sparkle and glam you’d associate with your biggest idol. For a while, she wears bejewelled jeans and a gorgeous little top, taking on this motherly role as she has a heart-to-heart with Kevin. Each appearance has her zapped in with pyrotechnics as she vanishes from his poster making her grand Genie-like entrances, or disappear from his bed side and appear in a separate poster in an illusion aided by Richard Pinner’s ingenuity.

Paoluccio’s energy is equally as intoxicating as Webb’s, although the audience themselves may struggle to get intoxicated since her influence can turn wine into water in a “reverse Jesus” move!

One can’t help but compare her poster magic tricks and idolism to Kylie’s mirror projected appearances in I Should Be So Lucky, but it feels more authentic and less gimmicky here.

One unusual thing to note is that, while feeling very alone, Kevin often breaks the fourth wall to do his stand-up routines or talk to the audience, as does Dolly while singing or prior to the interval. While it can feel a little jarring at times, since we’re led to believe that Kevin feels completely isolated, it plays well into the show’s campy and carefree feel.

Additionally, one number even allowed fans to sing-along and sway their phone lights in a surprising subversion of theatre expectations. While I’d usually be opposed to encouraging singing as it can carry on into numbers, they don’t want people to sing in (I’m looking at you, ‘9 to 5’), it was surprisingly poignant and didn’t cause as much ruckus as I had anticipated.

While I won’t spoil the minutia of the ending, there’s a nice sense of catharsis as Kevin’s life seems to turn around and, like the fixing Mary Poppins figure she is, Dolly fades back out of his life again. While it isn’t an action-filled plot, the emotional rollercoaster reflected in Webb’s character is the true heart of the story… he’s left to reclaim his values and independence, follow his dreams, and hopefully be like Dolly with a new optimistic outlook.

The finale is certainly an exciting moment for any Dolly fan as previous songs are rolled into one fun sing-along concert, Kevin wearing his sparkly white jacket to match Dolly, the set stretching apart, and the stage revealing a intimately lit (Tim Deiling) country band.

Despite my initial apprehension with the story’s pacing, Here You Come Again is a magical show with so many fun twists, unique perspectives, hilarious moments, and a heartwarming message at its core. The impeccable casting choices, gorgeous set and lighting design, and the overall warmth and optimis the show emanated is simply ravishing.

Here You Come Again runs at The Lowry (Lyric Theatre) until November 2 and tours the UK until February 22.

Photo: Hugo Glendinning