Dolly, Glitter and Therapy in Rhinestones
Here You Come Again. Dolly Parton – the musical.
Dolly, Glitter and Therapy in Rhinestones
You know when you’re having one of those days where your life feels like a badly folded doona cover, and you think, if only Dolly Parton would appear out of my wardrobe and sort me out with a song and some fringe? Well, that’s exactly what happens in Here You Come Again, and it is every bit as ridiculous and fabulous as you’d imagine.
The plot (and I use the word generously) follows Kevin, played by Dash Kruck, who’s in his forties, down on his luck, and living back with his parents. (We’ve all been there.) Kevin’s attic is bursting with Dolly memorabilia, posters, records, wigs so tall they could disrupt Qantas flight paths. And in the middle of his crisis, who should arrive but Dolly herself, in the shimmering form of Tricia Paoluccio.
Now, Paoluccio doesn’t just play Dolly, she becomes her. The hair, the twang, the cheeky grin that says “yes, I can sing a gospel ballad and also tell you where to buy the best rhinestones in Nashville.”
Dolly as a rhinestoned Mary Poppins
Dash Kruck as Kevin is a delight too, equal parts hapless and hopeful. He’s the sort of man you want to pat gently on the head and then shove out into the world with a decent haircut and a dating app. His chemistry with Paoluccio is sweet, funny, and occasionally teetering on the edge of complete farce which is exactly as it should be in a show where Dolly Parton just turns up in your attic like a rhinestoned Mary Poppins.
And then there’s the music. All the classics, Jolene, Nine to Five and Islands in the Stream. The slower songs, like Love is Like a Butterfly, catch you off guard, one minute you’re laughing at Kevin’s dating disasters, the next you’re blinking back tears and hoping the usher doesn’t notice you’ve nicked a serviette to use as a tissue.
Dolly Parton songs
The band, led by Andrew Worboys, are front and centre on stage and look like they’re having the absolute time of their lives. And you believe them because how could you not when you’re playing Dolly Parton songs all night? They harmonise, they act, they twang and strum and bash the drums, and the whole thing feels like you’ve wandered into a really good party where everyone just happens to be a professional musician.
Costumes of sequins, fringes and rhinestones
Let’s talk costumes. Sequins. Fringes. Rhinestones that could probably fund an entire Bunnings aisle. Paoluccio does more costume changes than an Oscars host, and every single outfit screams “life is short, wear the glitter.”
The opening night crowd was just as dazzling. Pink carpet, fans in wigs taller than small children, cowboy hats, fake boobs, glittery boots. It was Mardi Gras meets Tamworth and I was living for it. The LGBTQIA+ crowd, Dolly tragics, and random aunties who just “like a good tune” all sang and swayed together, proving Dolly’s real gift is making us forget our differences and just dance.
Yes, the story is thin. Yes, it’s bonkers. But who cares? The whole point is joy. Dolly’s music, Dolly’s sass, Dolly’s heart. For two hours, you get to forget the bills, the doomscrolling, the mysterious leak under the kitchen sink, and just revel in sequinned happiness.
Here you come again is therapy
Here You Come Again is therapy served with a wink, and a wig taller than your self-esteem. And isn’t that exactly what we need sometimes?
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