The cast of HERE WE GO AGAIN. Photo Credit: Hugo Glendinning
Despite a slightly wobbly script, HERE YOU COME AGAIN is a glittery, feel-good jukebox musical with a heart as big as Dolly Parton’s wig collection.
If you’re expecting harps and halos, think again. This guardian angel arrives in a cascade of sequins, towering platinum wigs, and a Tennessee twang sharp enough to cut through heartbreak. HERE YOU COME AGAIN is a jukebox musical that answers life’s burning question with a wink and a rhinestone flourish: What would Dolly do?
Kevin, a man in his forties and far from fabulous, finds himself back in his parents’ attic during the COVID-19 lockdown, heartbroken after splitting from his city banker boyfriend, Jeremy. His only comfort? A room decked out like a Dolly Parton shrine. Enter a crisis (and maybe too much cheap rosé), and BAM! Dolly Parton bursts forth from a poster in a haze of glitter and smoke. As you do.
The cast of HERE WE GO AGAIN. Photo Credit: Hugo Glendinning
Steven Webb (THE BOOK OF MORMON) plays Kevin with an endearing neurosis, embodying a man whose life has spectacularly veered off course. His comedic timing, while occasionally shaky like a dodgy karaoke rendition of 9 TO 5, manages to land at times. But let’s be honest: the real star is Tricia Paoluccio as Dolly. Her accent is so spot-on you’d swear she was born somewhere between Nashville and Neverland. And the voice? A uncannily accurate mix of honey, grit, and pure Dolly magic.
Paoluccio doesn’t just impersonate Parton, she channels her. The laugh, the sass, the sparkle, it’s all there, wrapped up in rhinestone-encrusted fabulousness. When she belts out classics like JOLENE, ISLANDS IN THE STREAM, and I WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU, it’s less tribute act, more time machine. You could almost believe Dolly herself had been summoned from Dollywood to sort out Kevin’s life.
The plot, written by Bruce Vilanch, Gabriel Barre (who also directs), and Paoluccio, with UK adaptations by Jonathan Harvey, is a whimsical mix of midlife crisis, pandemic blues, and glitter-drenched pep talks. It swings between heartfelt and hokey, with emotional moments often reduced to text messages and phone calls that lack the drama their moments deserve. Some jokes land flat, but others sparkle with genuine warmth.
The cast of HERE WE GO AGAIN. Photo Credit: Hugo Glendinning
Musician-performers double as Kevin’s parents and provide live instrumentation, adding a pub-gig charm that’s endearing, if sometimes thin. The staging leans heavily on Dolly’s larger-than-life persona, and thankfully, it works. Without her glitter cannon of charisma, the script might buckle under its own sentimentality.
Yet, for all its narrative wobbles, HERE YOU COME AGAIN has a heart as big as Dolly’s wig collection. It’s unapologetically bold, camp, occasionally bonkers, and bursting with charm. Paoluccio’s performance is the rhinestone glue holding it all together, elevating even the flattest moments.
This isn’t a deep, thought-provoking piece. It’s a glittery, feel-good romp about rediscovering your inner fabulousness when life feels anything but. And really, isn’t that exactly what Dolly would do?
HERE YOU COME AGAIN runs at the Opera House, Manchester until 8 February 2025.
Lola Maguire leases cars by day and has evolved to live off movies, books, gin and sarcasm; probably the best cheese eater in the world. Guitarist and singer in a band, co-creator of two kids, currently writes for Frankly My Dear.
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