★★★★

“Barber gives the character everything she has”

Jonathan Harvey and the Pet Shop Boys’ salacious, scandalous and searingly funny “Musik” is only an hour long, but it will take stage management twice as long each night to clear up all the celebrity names dropped. It’s a good thing, too, that we’re fully aware that this is a work of complete fiction (although we would love it to be all true) otherwise the libel lawyers would outnumber the paying audience. Mind you, my guess is that they’d be won over pretty rapidly by Frances Barber’s brilliant and hilarious delivery of Harvey’s script, that charts the outrageous life of a certain Billie Trix.

So, who is this Billie Trix? She was first introduced to the world in the 2001 musical, ‘Closer to Heaven’ as a retired rock icon and actress. Although the narrator, she had a relatively small part of the story. In 2019, Harvey and the Pet Shop Boys created “Musik”, the spin-off cabaret show that propelled Trix to centre stage, exploring her back story from her ignominious birth in war-torn Berlin to the present day. Not quite a ‘cradle-to-grave’ story, as she still manages to keep the latter at bay, against all the odds. Six songs pepper the narrative, opening with ‘Mongrel’. “Times were tough, but I was tougher…” she croons in her ravaged voice, “times were rough, but I was rougher”. Yet by the final song she is undeniably celebratory, belting out the fact that you’ve got to live your life for every moment (she certainly has). “We never know what’s round the corner” she says by way of introduction, “and that’s what gives me hope”.

And what corners she has turned, managing to find herself at the forefront of each revolution in pop culture; giving birth to the American folk revival, inventing ‘Disco’, inspiring Andy Warhol’s pop art culture, creating Madonna’s image and – in an update since its 2019 premier – unwittingly causing the global pandemic. She witnessed Vietnam, rejected the hand of a young Trump (good move), and got up to all graphically described shenanigans with the likes of Lou Reed, Andy Warhol, Jackson Pollock, Damien Hirst, Tracy Emin, Mick (and Bianca) Jagger, Frank Zappa, Shania Twain, Jean-Paul Sartre, even the Dalai Lama… I could go on. Trix is clearly delusional, and her memoir is fantastical. She is larger than life, arrogant, self-assured and psychotically callous and indifferent to opinion. But she is adorable, charismatic, and laugh-out-loud hilarious. Barber gives the character everything she has, bringing her to life and making her preposterous anecdotes totally believable… almost. With expert comic timing, Barber mixes over-the-top self-aggrandisement with dead-pan self-deprecation, conquering the stage and the audience with a performance Billie Trix could only dream of.

Terry Johnson directs the show with the pulsating pace of a Pet Shop Boys dance anthem. Barber talks and moves at 120bpm, seamlessly segueing into the musical numbers. The unmistakable Tennant and Lowe synth-pop backing does give a vague karaoke feel to the songs, but Barber’s crackling vocals adds the required depth, aided by Harvey’s and the duo’s scathingly clever lyrics. The songs are not necessarily what we’ll be taking home with us – it is Harvey’s razor-sharp writing, coupled with Barber’s fiercely formidable performance that will be truly remembered. Billie Trix insists that she is a ‘gift to the world’. A dubious claim. But there’s no doubting that Frances Barber is a gift to the theatre world. Her character is indomitable, her show unmissable.

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.

MUSIK

Wilton’s Music Hall

★★★★

“Barber gives the character everything she has”

MUSIK

Wilton’s Music Hall

Reviewed on 17th October 2025

by Jonathan Evans

Photography by Charlie Flint

Previously reviewed at this venue:

MUSIK

MUSIK

MUSIK

HERE YOU COME AGAIN

Riverside Studios

★★★★

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