Here You Come Again Review: Comedy Theatre
- Natasha Dyson
- Jul 17
- 3 min read
“If I had one wish for all others, it would be to dream more.”
The Comedy Theatre’s pink carpet on Wednesday saw opening night theatre-goers decked out in bedazzled cowboy boots and double denim, for what many believed would be a Dolly Parton musical biopic. They quickly realised this was not that Dolly show. Well, mostly.
Half-comedic play, half-tribute concert, Here You Come Again is a show about Kevin, a middle-aged man stuck in his parents’ attic in Bendigo during 2020’s COVID isolation. You read that right. Real-life Dolly Parton appears to Kevin as an isolation-induced hallucination, at a time when he needs his lifelong idol most. Magic and lots of Dolly songs ensue.
Of all the shows, a Dolly Parton musical was not the one I expected to accurately represent what COVID isolation in Melbourne felt like. But ain’t that just the way?
We’ve all been waiting for COVID-theatre to enter the mainstream, and I think the fact that it was handled playfully and skilfully achieved the writers’ intention of using our universal experience to bring us closer to Dolly (read: God), and also to each other. Kevin’s escapism as a coping mechanism was deeply relatable, and as an audience we were reminded of those icons we look towards who set the tone for our own lives. The show was somehow both otherworldly and eerily close-to-home.
The Australian team, including writers Mike McLeish and Fiona Harris, very carefully considered their target audience when reworking the show for Melbourne. Their attention to detail in landing the Australian sense of humour was handled perfectly. The script keeps cheek and heart in the right place.
There’s also something to be said about Dolly’s own candour, and the way her no B.S way of looking at the world is so well-received in an Aussie setting. Complete with Mary Poppins-esque practical effects, she’s the fairy godmother we all wish we had during what was the hardest time of most of our lives.
Tricia Paoluccio is a flawless Dolly. The show succeeds because of her vision and commitment to spreading Dolly’s joy. I was fascinated by the kooky anecdotes shared throughout. The ensemble and band provided a laidback energy and dry humour to clarify our relationship to the two leads.
By the time Act Two began our audience had finally warmed to Dash Kruck’s Kevin, as the premise of Melbournians' shared trauma as a vehicle for Dolly Parton music became less bizarre. Kruck sings like an old-school Aussie rocker, driving the point home that although the show is about Dolly, it’s just as much about us, the average punter.
Here You Come Again, like Dolly, does not take itself too seriously. It is theatre for fun, designed to uplift. The show is full of classic musical-theatre-naff scene-into-song gearshifts, but is staged and written so that you know those on stage are in on the joke with you. It leans into Dolly’s drag following, welcoming the audience into an accepting and vibrant space. It’s as camp as… well, Dolly.
Dolly Parton is for everyone, and Here You Come Again proves you don’t have to know her whole music catalogue to go to worship. Amen. Yeehaw.
Catch Here You Come Again at the Comedy Theatre Melbourne until November 2nd.
