How Dolly Parton’s Songbook Inspired a Hit Fantasy Musical

With her folksy charm, impeccable country manners and globally beloved hits, Dolly Parton has achieved a kind of fairy godmother status for fans all around the world. In their minds, she’s not just an entertainer but an icon and a comfort-giver. Here You Come Again, an original musical now touring stages around the country, takes that fantastical role very literally.

Co-created and written by Gabriel Barre, Tricia Paoluccio and two-time Emmy Award-winner Bruce Vilanch, the production is a whimsical love letter to the world’s favourite rhinestone cowgirl. The action is set entirely within the lead character’s childhood bedroom, where he is isolating during lockdown, despairing at the state of his existence after losing both his boyfriend and his job. In his hour of need, a poster of his childhood idol comes to life – a guardian angel who happens to be the fabulous Dolly Parton.

Stepping into those big boots was a long-held dream for New York theatre star Paoluccio, who wanted to channel Dolly’s essence as an emblem of joy and hope, rather than a bio-style documentation and dissection of her life.

“Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve been singing Dolly Parton music and found I could emulate her voice. So I always thought I could do something with this because I love her so much,” Paoluccio tells Broadsheet.

“I had the vision of creating a show that was about an uber fan’s fantasy friendship. I thought that lens might be the best way to show Dolly Parton in action and create an experience where everybody gets to feel like they’ve been with her for a couple of hours, in full glam, but also with the intimacy of a conversation. Can you imagine the joy of sitting with Dolly and sharing your feelings in a time of need, and have her listen and help you?”

Paoluccio’s concept came to fuition in 2020 when she was isolating in a California log cabin with her husband, Barre – who directs the show – and their two children. The couple collaborated with their friend Vilanch over Zoom and wrote the show in about six weeks. Their lawyer then connected with Parton’s counterpart to seek approval, which led to a greenlight from the star herself.

“We never imagined we would actually get to her, but a couple of months later we heard word that she’d read the script and watched videos of me and absolutely loved it,” Paoluccio says. “She gave me permission to play her and gave us worldwide grants to all her music. We just couldn’t be more grateful.”

The show is packed with iconic songs – including Jolene, 9 to 5, Islands in the Stream, I Will Always Love You and the eponymous Here You Come Again – all performed by Paoluccio alongside Australia’s own Dash Kruck (Little Shop of Horrors, Jesus Christ Superstar) as diehard fan Kevin, and a local ensemble cast and live band.

Using her trademark wit and charm, Dolly teaches Kevin invaluable lessons about life, love, and how to pull yourself up by your bootstraps when times get tough. The script changes to suit the location of the production, which has toured across the US and the UK and will soon begin a national tour taking in Victoria, NSW, WA, SA and the ACT. The Australian production, adapted by Fiona Harris and Mike McLeish, is set in Bendigo.

Despite the local adaptation, the Dolly Parton songbook, with its near-universal appeal, never changes. “My favourites are Here You Come Again, God’s Coloring Book and Me and Little Andy, and I’ve fallen in love with singing The Seeker, which is not a song I grew up listening to,” Paoluccio says.

She sings the showstopping I Will Always Love You, perhaps Parton’s most influential number, “after the journey with Kevin feels complete”.

“We all have a person who we think about when we hear that song… To connect on a deep soul level with 1000 people in the audience every night is profound and moving.

“What a gift Dolly has given us, to access those feelings and work through them. I made her a video and said, ‘Our world needs you.’ That’s what our show is about – a comforting assurance that everything’s going to be okay. And it’s resonating. People are grateful for the message.”

Here You Come Again previewed in Melbourne from July 12–20 and will tour nationally from August 22, starting in Perth before heading to Sydney, Melbourne, Newcastle, Canberra and Adelaide.

More information and tickets available at hereyoucomeagain.com.au.

This article was produced by Broadsheet in partnership with Here You Come Again.