HERE YOU COME AGAIN - UK TOUR - REVIEW ****

Last night, I had the pleasure of being invited to review ‘Here you come again’ on it’s regional press night at the New Victoria Theatre in Woking… and in this review I am going to detail my thoughts and opinions!

‘Here you come again’ is a brand new musical written by Bruce Vilanch, Gabriel Barre and Tricia Paoluccio with the music of country icon Dolly Parton. It follows the story of Kevin, going through a break-up during the Covid-19 lockdowns of 2020, when his childhood (and adulthood) hero swoops in like an angel to save the day and make him feel better. With music like ‘Jolene’, ‘Islands in the Stream’ and ‘9 to 5’ - what more could you want?

The plot of this show at first seemed totally crazy and the opening set the tone for the remainder of the musical. Gabrielle Barre directs this production and gives a unique style to it, constantly breaking the 4th wall and involving the audience within the story. This works incredibly well for a show of this kind. A Scene in which the cast asked us to take out our torches, and it was quite beautiful to see the entirety of the auditorium covered in phone torches, I can only imagine how special this looks from the stage.

Set design for ‘Here you come again’ was done by Paul Wills. From entering the auditorium, I fell in love with the set. The story takes place in Kevin’s parents attic, and of course the walls are adorned with Dolly Parton posters and memorabilia. There were so many small details and intricacies like a skeleton with a covid mask on, a box that said “this way up”, upside down and a flamingo. I love the chaos of the design and it matches Kevin’s aura as a character. 

Kevin is played by Steven Webb. Webb brings a fantastic energy to the stage in this role, in the opening scene he bounces around the stage with some physical comedy. For a character who says he is a ‘not-so-funny’, a comedian… Webb has insane comedic timing and got laughs from the entire audience throughout the piece. We also see that Steven Webb as Kevin has a gorgeous singing voice as he serenades the audience particularly in his big number at the end of the show! He was immediately adored by the audience and this remained the whole way through the show, he made Kevin such a likeable character and was so entertaining when interacting with the audience.

Tricia Paoluccio, one of the writers of the musical, plays the role of ‘Dolly Parton’. Paoluccio brings the essence of Dolly Parton to Woking, from mannerisms, to voice to looks… Tricia Paoluccio was perfect as Dolly! Her ability to capture the sound of Dolly Parton blew me away. Seriously, she was absolutely fantastic. I recommend this show based purely on her performance alone.

The remainder of the characters were played by Aidan Cutler, Charlotte Elisabeth Yorke and Austin Garrett - who all delivered beautiful backing vocals throughout the piece but also played small cameo roles such as Kevin’s mum and dad! - Each one brought something else to their role, and make everything fit together nicely like a good jigsaw puzzle.

Overall, I’d say that this show is an uplifting, joyous and fun night out for any fan of the icon that is Dolly Parton - even if you only know a couple of her songs, then you need to get yourself to see this production. I walked away with a big smile across my face - and hopefully you will too. The show is currently on tour and you can find out details on their website at: https://hereyoucomeagain.co.uk/ - It even has a run in London!

But currently this week, the show is in Woking at the New Victoria Theatre, and you can find tickets at https://www.atgtickets.com/shows/here-you-come-again-the-new-dolly-parton-musical/new-victoria-theatre

Get them before it’s too late, you do not want to miss out!

23rd October 2024

Robbie Davies | Robbie’s Backstage Bants