Here You Come Again UK tour

Theatre review: Here You Come Again at Norwich Theatre Royal

AD | Press tickets

Here You Come Again has come to Norwich Theatre Royal this week! Find out what we thought of the show on opening night.

About the show

For the first time ever, all of Dolly Parton’s biggest hits can be experienced together in a rollicking and joyous new musical comedy.

Packed with the iconic songs Jolene, 9 to 5, Islands in the Stream, I Will Always Love You, Here You Come Again and more, this lively and touching new musical tells the story of a diehard fan whose fantasy version of international icon Dolly Parton gets him through trying times. With her wit, humour and charm, Dolly teaches him a whole lot about life, love and how to pull yourself up by your bootstraps…even if your bootstraps don’t have rhinestones! This is one musical that is sure to make you smile.

After several successful productions across the United States, Here You Come Again was originally written by two-time Emmy award-winning comedy and songwriter Bruce Vilanch with Gabriel Barre (who also directs) and Tricia Paoluccio (who also plays Dolly), and has now been adapted for the UK by acclaimed British playwright Jonathan Harvey (Gimme, Gimme, Gimme and Coronation Street)

Here You Come Again UK Tour - Hugo Glendinning 1
Credit: Hugo Glendinning

What did we think?

Plot

It’s 2020 and the Covid pandemic and 40 something Kevin can’t work and has just been dumped! He’s ended up back at home with his parents, stuck in the attic to ‘keep his parents safe’. Being set only a few years ago, and during Covid means the setting is something we can all relate to in one way or another.

Kevin is struggling with his new life, but turns to Dolly Parton for help. The attic is covered in her pictures and he plays songs on repeat. Never did he think Dolly would turn up in person to help him out for real! Of course, it’s not really Dolly but an all singing, all dancing, fantasy vision.

Here You Come Again started in the U.S so this version has been adapted for a UK audience. You can tell where things have been changed such as places, people and events that happen in Kevins life. Had the show been kept the same, I don’t think it would have worked as well as it did over here.

Over the course of the show, Dolly helps Kevin to realise his potential, talk him out of some silly actions, and helps him to realise just how awesome he is, through song, of course! What I loved though, is that this isn’t a show all about Dolly’s life, like I thought it might be. Instead, it uses Dolly’s experiences and songbook, to create a show that can help everyone.

Here You Come Again UK Tour - Hugo Glendinning 2
Credit: Hugo Glendinning

Set

Here You Come Again only has 1 set really, which doesn’t change much at all until the very end of the show. However, that’s not to say it wasn’t done well. The set was actually pretty amazing.

With the whole show being set in Kevin’s attic, it’s basic in the sense of it’s just room with a bed, shower and small sink area. However, there’s so much to see! This is a room that Kevin used as a kid, and is covered with his memories. There’s the obvious Dolly memorabilia and pictures but if you look closely you’ll see childhood favourites like Sooty and Sweep, a Chucky doll and other old toys. Me and John spent as long as we could before the show started looking for things we recognised.

Here You Come Again UK Tour - Hugo Glendinning 5
Credit: Hugo Glendinning

Cast and characters

Kevin – Steven Webb

Leading man Steven Webb does an amazing job as Kevin. He’s got this way of really bringing the audience into the show, made easier by being able to talk to them as though they are on the stage with him. Instantly likable, Kevin is someone you can relate to and want to do well. Webb adds a funny and quirky element to the character, which makes you not only laugh with him but also at him at times.

Dolly – Tricia Paoluccio

Tricia Paoluccio, who is also one of the writers of Here You Come Again, is perfect as Dolly Parton. The accent, the look… everything! Of course, the singing is absolutely spot on too and there wasn’t a note gone wrong throughout the whole show.

While the show is not about Dolly herself, you get glimpses of her life as she talks about topics for her songs, her husband and infertility issues. These are done in such a funny and sensitive way, making them something to help Kevin, rather than being about Dolly. However, I still appreciated learning a little bit more about her.

Vocalists

Although Kevin and Dolly are the main characters here, there are a couple of additonal vocalists. From time to time, they step down from the roof of the house, becoming Mum, Dad, and a band… just to name a few things. Every now and again you’ll see them pop through a window or push through Kevin’s clothes that are hung up. They fit in so well with the comedic feel of the show and they also act as understudys.

Here You Come Again UK Tour - Hugo Glendinning 6
Credit: Hugo Glendinning

Soundtrack

I’ll admit, I didn’t actually know a whole lot of Dolly Parton songs apart from maybe the obvious 4 or so that most people will know. That really didn’t matter though. There’s such a wonderful use of the songs throughout, from something a bit slower and more meaningful, to a fantastic rendition of Jolene. From funny to dreamed

The end of the show allows the audience to get up, have a sing and a dance, and film a few short numbers too if they want to! It’s hard to sit through a show full of such well-known songs and not sing along, so I think a lot of people appreciated being able to do this at the end.

Here You Come Again is a heartwarming show about being able to believe in yourself, with a mix of twinkly lights, sparkly outfits and glimpses of the amazing Dolly Parton’s life and songbook. What’s not to love?!

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.