Meet the Writer and Star of Dolly Parton Musical Here You Come Again
Packed with the iconic songs Jolene, 9 to 5, Islands in the Stream, I Will Always Love You, Here You Come Again and more, this lively and touching new musical makes its North East debut at Newcastle Theatre Royal from Tuesday 18th-Saturday 22nd June
What was the original inspiration for the show?
I've always loved Dolly and been able to sing like her. It was my dream to someday be able to use this ability in a theatrical way and thought the best way to do it, was to have it be another person's journey. What developed was a story about an uber-fan's fantasy friendship with Dolly. I wanted to show Dolly in action, to see her helping another person, versus it being a bio musical about her life.
How was working with Jonathan Harvey, who has collaborated with you on the UK version of the play’s script?
He is so funny. He's a great writer, with fine-tuned taste, and the main thing he's contributed is helping us set it in England because we had to change all of our cultural references. He's also helped us to understand how things will hit a British audience, because British audiences are different than American audiences and your experience during 2020 was a little different than ours.
How did you set about 'becoming' Dolly for the show?
I like to say that I began rehearsing for this role when I was five years old, when I first heard Here You Come Again on the radio. I remember that moment vividly. I begged for the record and I memorised every song on it. I've always been able to tune my vocal cords to hit her vibrato and to find that cry in her voice and the musicality of her styling. When it came time to doing our show, though, I did not have her speaking voice down. I worked with a very celebrated dialect coach named Erik Singer, who helped Austin Butler prepare to play Elvis. We worked together on cracking her speaking voice and that took a bit more effort. I've watched tons of Dolly videos and early interviews to absorb how she does and says things, her mannerisms and everything. I just love to study her.
Do you have a favourite song to perform in the show?
It's like picking a favourite child and I love them all for different reasons. But I think my favourite one to perform is Me And Little Andy. It's just so sad and strange, where Dolly does a little girl voice and it takes this painfully tragic turn. I love performing it and I love the reaction it gets from the audience. If you don't know the song already don't listen to it before you come to see the show! Let yourself be surprised because I want you to have the same reaction that Kevin does.
How would you describe your relationship with Dolly's music?
As a child I spent hours and hours walking around our almond orchard in Modesto, California singing her songs, imagining how life might be as a grown up. Singing along to her made me want to become an actress, because I loved how she told stories and how emotional her songs could be. I can't express enough how deeply her artistry has influenced my entire life – a love of beauty and a love of storytelling, culminating in what I consider the greatest achievement of my career – creating and being in this show. It's the honour of a lifetime.
If you got to meet her, what's the one thing you'd want to ask her?
I met her sister Rachel, who saw our show in Tennessee, but unfortunately Dolly was away shooting music videos for her rock album so she wasn't able to come along herself. I don't know what I'd do if I ever met her. I'd die! I would ask her first 'can I borrow some of your wigs for our show?' But if I was having a real heart-to-heart with Dolly I'd want to know 'how have you been able to navigate your life and career the way that you have?' In my opinion, she really has never had a misstep.
What can audiences expect when they come to see the show?
I think every audience member, no matter who they are, will find something very relatable in the character of Kevin (brilliantly portrayed by Stevie Webb). And I think they'll find the show to be really funny, with lots of laughs, but they’ll also be surprised by how deep and emotional it is. It's a play with music, with the side benefit of it also sometimes feeling like a Dolly Parton concert.
