HERE YOU COME AGAIN

Riverside Studios

★★★★

“an unexpected gem (or should that be rhinestone) of a show”

Should Dolly Parton ever fall on hard times, there is definitely a career for her as a self-help therapist. At least according to the feel-good musical “Here You Come Again”. The Country icon is given enough sugary lines to inspire the most misanthropic among us to cheer up and join in a group hug. The show is an undeniably cheesy affair, but bonkers enough to be brilliantly entertaining, camp, funny and toe-tappingly tantalising.

This is not a musical about Dolly Parton, although we do get a couple of superficial glimpses into her backstory. It is, in fact, about Kevin. It is the summer of 2020 and forty-year-old Kevin is back home, holed up in the attic of his parent’s house. The pandemic is in full swing and he is isolated with nothing to keep him company but his childhood memorabilia: Dolly Parton records and posters. Split up from boyfriend Jeremy and with his professional dreams unfulfilled, he is careering towards a mid-life crisis. “What would Dolly do?” he muses. Lo and behold, Ms Parton walks into his life out of his dreams. Or rather crashes into it, exploding from a poster on his bedroom door in a genie-like puff of smoke. Richard Pinner’s illusions are pretty impressive throughout.

Written by American comedy writer and songsmith Bruce Vilanch, with Gabriel Barre (who also directs), and writer and actor Tricia Paoluccio (who also stars as Dolly), it has been anglicised by Jonathan Harvey who provides additional material for the production’s UK run. Apparently it has also been wholeheartedly endorsed by Parton herself, so things are looking good. With the help of its two protagonists, things are looking great. It is an unexpected gem (or should that be rhinestone) of a show. ‘Unexpected’ in the sense that its structure is a surprise, rather than expectations were low. It defies musical convention – no big ensemble; just Tricia Paoluccio as Dolly with Steven Webb as Kevin. It is a curious mix of stand-up, soap opera and jukebox musical. A live band wander on and offstage with backing vocalists also playing cameos as Mum, Dad and ex-boyfriend.

Paoluccio is a dead ringer for Dolly, especially vocally. Totally at ease, she handles the platitude-rich dialogue with good humour and an infectious energy, but it is when she bursts into song that she truly soars. Webb is magnificent as the struggling comedian, Kevin. Eccentric and neurotic, nerdy and needy, and self-deprecating, he knows the joke is on him. And although the jokes are often bad (intentionally so, we like to suspect) the couple have great fun with them. Their relaxed banter drives along smoothly until it reaches the exit slip road to the next musical number. The signposts are obvious and the dialogue becomes somewhat contrived. We are never allowed to forget that the show is a vehicle for Dolly Parton’s back catalogue. But, hey, why not? That’s the whole point, and the creators have found a unique and inspired framing device for such a recognisable repertoire. The favourites are all there, of course, along with a few lesser known hidden secrets.

Country music is notorious for shrouding intelligently bleak lyrics in an upbeat camouflage, a concept that spills over into the script – so that whenever the dialogue is at risk of becoming dark or deep, Dolly’s relentless optimism (or ‘insufferable positivity’ as Kevin calls it) over-sweetens it with way too many spoonfuls of sugar.

You certainly don’t need to be a fan of Dolly to appreciate the show. In fact, even if you claim not to be (though I suspect you’re just in denial) I’d still urge you to see it. The sense of fun is intoxicating and the performances are exceptional. The personal touches they add to the songs are often hilarious too – their rendition of ‘Jolene’ is worth the ticket price alone. We are even given a whirlwind medley of the greatest hits at curtain call, during which the show morphs into full-on gig mode. The crowds are now on their feet. This finale may have absolutely nothing to do with the rest of the show, but most of us have forgotten the plot by now. We’re just basking in Dolly’s light and forgetting our troubles. Kevin certainly has – he’s a whole new man. This is a joyous musical, but beware – you’ll be humming those songs well into the New Year.

HERE YOU COME AGAIN

Riverside Studios

Reviewed on 20th December 2024

by Jonathan Evans

Photography by Hugo Glendinning

Previously reviewed at this venue:

DECK THE STALLS | ★★★ | December 2024

THE UNSEEN | ★★★★ | November 2024

FRENCH TOAST | ★★★★ | October 2024

KIM’S CONVENIENCE | ★★★ | September 2024

THE WEYARD SISTERS | ★★ | August 2024

MADWOMEN OF THE WEST | ★★ | August 2024

MOFFIE | ★★★ | June 2024

KING LEAR | ★★★★ | May 2024

THIS IS MEMORIAL DEVICE | ★★★★ | April 2024

ARTIFICIALLY YOURS | ★★★ | April 2024

HERE YOU COME AGAIN

We’re now on BLUESKY – click to visit and follow

★★★★★

“The performances are uniformly superb, the skin of each character ripped open by the flaming crossbow of passion”

A major comet is visible from earth on average every five to ten years, while a great comet is visible every twenty to thirty years. Although the timescale may be contracted a little, a truly great show appears every once in a while, that forces people to look up and take note. “Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812” is one of the brightest examples of this phenomenon. Directed by Tim Sheader, Dave Malloy’s searing sung-through musical will scorch itself into our memories for a long time to come.

Malloy has taken a seventy-page segment from Leo Tolstoy’s ‘War and Peace’ and moulded it into a passionate, original musical that interweaves the fates of the two protagonists: the story of Natasha’s downfall and Pierre’s awakening. A tale of despair and of hope. Surrounded by a colourful array of characters, it could be a convoluted affair, but Malloy’s libretto clarifies the narrative with mischievous simplicity and imaginative ingenuity. We are propelled into the story by way of the ‘Prologue’; playfully executed like a cross between a memory game and an introductory meeting for a covert club. A few melodious words from each, between the repeated refrain that one of its members is absent. ‘Andrey isn’t here’. Andrey is off fighting in the Napoleonic Wars. His fiancé is here though. The beautiful Countess Natasha, tossed into the centre of the space – a smouldering comet on her journey from gleeful, betrothed ingenue to tragic heroine.

Chumisa Dornford-May grabs the roller-coaster ride of Natasha’s role with complete abandon and commitment. Her songs of innocence capsized by harsh experience. All around her is seduction. The hunters and the hunted; cuckolds and adulterers. In Moscow, waiting for the return of her fiancé, Natasha falls in love with the casually dismissive yet alluringly sexy Anatole (Jamie Muscato in gorgeous, rock-star, swaggering form). Anatole’s sister, Hélène, is delighted by the illicit affair. After all, it is de rigueur. She herself has made a cuckold of her husband – the deeply unhappy Pierre. Cat Simmons’ manipulative Hélène is sultry and sexy yet encased in ice, while Declan Bennett’s Pierre is dishevelled in appearance and self-esteem, yet the heat from his growing awareness can warm the hardest heart.

The performances are uniformly superb, the skin of each character ripped open by the flaming crossbow of passion. We want to know what is going to happen but at the same time want to stay in each moment for as long as possible. Malloy’s score (which he also orchestrated for the ten-piece band) is impossibly eclectic and wonderfully fearless. A mix of folk, anarcho-punk, techno, baroque, chamber and New Wave. One moment heartbreaking ballads, the next storms of dramatic scales and diminished sevenths. The musical numbers are bolstered by the ensemble – one minute a celestial choir, the next a band of whirling dervishes at a rave. The musicians have no break, and just when you think you’ve reached a musical highlight, another appears on the horizon. And the singing is extraordinary – both in virtuosity and emotion. Bennett’s solo number ‘Dust and Ashes’ sweeps us away one moment; then Dornford-May lures us back in with the heartfelt ‘No One Else’. Simmons’ smoky vocals bewitch during ‘Charming’. Maimuna Memon, as Natasha’s cousin Sonya who vainly tries to save her, beguiles with a hypnotic performance and mesmerising voice – her plaintive ‘Sonya Alone’ up there with the peaks of the set list.

Evie Gurney’s costumes are as lawless and rebellious as the score. Like a job lot stolen from the wardrobe of a New Romantic music video they scream sex, drugs and rock n roll. Period and modern, the design mirrors the entire production which defies time and place. We know we are in nineteenth century Moscow, but we could equally be in New York’s Studio 54 nightclub in the nineteen-seventies.

“Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812” is a trailblazing show. Against Leslie Travers’ harsh, minimalist backdrop it dazzles at every level. It is spectacular and heartrending, right up to its closing number. Sung quietly to the accompaniment of a simple piano motif, it rises like the great comet of 1812, into an imagined starry sky. It brings with it the promise of a new life. It’s not the end of the world after all. The exhilaration ripples through everybody in the room. A soaring success.

HERE YOU COME AGAIN

Riverside Studios

★★★★

“an unexpected gem (or should that be rhinestone) of a show”

HERE YOU COME AGAIN

Riverside Studios

Reviewed on 20th December 2024

by Jonathan Evans

Photography by Hugo Glendinning

Previously reviewed at this venue:

HERE YOU COME AGAIN

HERE YOU COME AGAIN

HERE YOU COME AGAIN

NATASHA, PIERRE & THE GREAT COMET OF 1812

Donmar Warehouse

★★★★★

“The performances are uniformly superb, the skin of each character ripped open by the flaming crossbow of passion”

NATASHA, PIERRE & THE GREAT COMET OF 1812

Donmar Warehouse

Reviewed on 17th December 2024

by Jonathan Evans

Photography by Johan Persson

Previously reviewed at this venue:

NATASHA

NATASHA

NATASHA