★★★★

“a magnificent and terrible thing to watch”

Darkness descends into the carefree life of teenager Toni with such unexpected force that breath drains from her lungs. Then ours. Ever after in this heart-wrecking drama, we struggle to regain balance.

Because, by the time this trauma strikes, young Toni has become our friend. Theoretically, the teen – self-deprecating, romantic, smart – occupies the theatre space alone for 90 minutes, but such is her boundless joy at the prospect of a budding romance that we quickly become her BFFs. What should I wear? What about this? Or this? What should I say? Aren’t his eyelashes just the loveliest?

The mechanics of a crush are awkward so she’s eager to crowdsource some insight.

The romance is almost too perfect as first loves must be. They plan a life together over their first shared milkshake. She will be a writer, he will take pictures. They hold hands. Brush arms. The individual kisses merge into one swelling super-kiss…

But the title of the play is Tarantula. The playwright is master weaver Philip Ridley. Nothing can be as straightforwardly simple as snogging by moonlight.

Something’s coming. Darkness is coming. The clue is in the moments of fugue state when Toni mentions her prospect’s name – Michael. Is she lovestruck? Or something-else-struck?
We soon find out.

You cannot take your eyes off Georgie Henley, who plays Toni. She won’t let you. As the naive schoolgirl, she is mercurial and giddy and all the things a girl can and should be. She dares you not to delight in her. Later, that same thrill is transmuted by her experience into something forced and manic. She is the same but different. The same but shrill. She challenges you to spot the artifice of her carefully constructed veneer of uber-glee.

Under Wiebke Green’s direction, the trauma that visits Toni is physical. It stalks her endlessly and then – in a quite astonishing and visceral way – it occupies her. She struggles to breathe. She is paralysed. She is felled. She remembers.

This parasitical body snatcher is a composite of unresolved pain and guilt and grief. Because one version of Toni died that day – the bright Oxford-bound lover of books and do-gooding school clubs – and this uncanny valley version took her place. What’s left is a too-keen gym bunny who urgently wants to be the hero of everybody’s tale.

To achieve this transformation, Ridley’s script is full of character, heart and keen detail. His lusty appetite for story, the darker the better, help to create a topical slice of gothic horror lightened by moments of utmost tenderness. It is perhaps 10 minutes too long, especially in the later stages, but accomplished, nevertheless.

For all the cleverness, laughter and texture in the script, it is the sinister contortions of Georgie Henley that will stick in the memory. Especially that manic dead-eyed smile, reminiscent of the innocent we met at the start of the evening but now fixed and crazed as Toni is compelled to make stand after stand against the dark tyranny of her memories.

This is a story about second chances when second chances are the last resort. To illustrate this, Georgie Henley destroys us with the scale of her loss. Her performance is courageous and raw. It is a magnificent and terrible thing to watch.

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.

TARANTULA

Arcola Theatre

★★★★

“a magnificent and terrible thing to watch”

TARANTULA

Arcola Theatre

Reviewed on 10th January 2025

by Giles Broadbent

Photography by Kate Hockenhull

Previously reviewed at this venue:

TARANTULA

TARANTULA

TARANTULA

HERE YOU COME AGAIN

Riverside Studios

★★★★

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