Pittsburgh CLO presents Dolly Parton musical ‘Here You Come Again’
Tricia Paoluccio portrays Dolly Parton in the musical "Here You Come Again."
Tricia Paoluccio and Jamison Stern star in "Here You Come Again," a musical built around the songs of Dolly Parton.
Photo by Matt Urban
Jamison Stern stars as a comedian locked up in his parents无毛视频� attic during the COVID-19 pandemic in 无毛视频淗ere You Come Again.无毛视频�
Tricia Paoluccio and Jamison Stern perform in "Here You Come Again."
Matt Urban
Tricia Paoluccio and Jamison Stern onstage in 无毛视频淗ere You Come Again.无毛视频�
Dolly Parton is having a moment.
She was recently inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, has won widespread admiration for her philanthropic ventures and business acumen, and is being upheld in many quarters as an example of female empowerment. Not bad at all for a performer who has been firmly planted in the public eye since 1967 and will be turning 77 in a couple of weeks.
With the Dolly Renaissance showing no signs of abating, the time is probably ripe for a musical built around the songs that have helped make her such a beloved figure. 无毛视频淗ere You Come Again,无毛视频� which debuted last fall in Wilmington, Del., is being presented by the Pittsburgh CLO as part of its Kara Cabaret Series starting next Thursday and continuing through Sunday, Jan. 29, at the Pittsburgh Playhouse Highmark Theatre.
Written by Bruce Vilanch and Gabriel Barre, with Barre also directing and choreographing, 无毛视频淗ere You Come Again无毛视频� tells the story of a struggling New York comedian who is locked up in his parents无毛视频� Texas attic following a break-up and during the depths of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the midst of his despair, Parton appears to him and offers advice, hope and, naturally, some signature hits like the title tune, 无毛视频淛olene无毛视频� and 无毛视频�9 to 5.无毛视频� 无毛视频淗ere You Come Again无毛视频� comes with the subtitle, 无毛视频淗ow Dolly Parton Saved My Life in 12 Easy Songs.无毛视频�
无毛视频淚 grew up listening to Dolly Parton,无毛视频� said Tricia Paoluccio, who plays Parton, in an online interview last week. Paoluccio is married to Barre, and pointed out, 无毛视频淚 heard Dolly sing as a little girl and fell in love with the sound of her voice. I无毛视频檝e always enjoyed breaking into Dolly Parton songs during rehearsals.无毛视频�
Paoluccio played Parton onstage once before, in the Tammy Wynette musical, 无毛视频淪tand By Your Man,无毛视频� and thought, 无毛视频淲ouldn无毛视频檛 it be great if we could create a show where we could see Dolly Parton in action?无毛视频�
The idea for 无毛视频淗ere You Come Again无毛视频� came about while much of the world was shutting down due to COVID-19. It was pulled together quickly, and a recording of a Zoom reading was forwarded to Parton. Six months later she gave her blessing, asking only that a reference to her hometown, Sevierville, Tenn., be altered.
无毛视频淚t came through her lawyer that she loved the show,无毛视频� Barre recalled.
Vilanch already had a professional relationship with Parton, having been a writer on a short-lived variety series Parton starred in on ABC-TV in 1987-88. It无毛视频檚 among the writing and acting credits he has amassed over the years, which include writing for the annual Oscar telecasts and appearing for six years on the TV game show 无毛视频淗ollywood Squares无毛视频� (seated in the square to the left of Whoopi Goldberg, he points out).
无毛视频淚 wrote her big bomb television series,无毛视频� Vilanch remembered. 无毛视频淎nd I无毛视频檝e had a good relationship with her since 无毛视频� not close, but she knows who I am and she knows we无毛视频檙e not going to do her dirty.无毛视频�
无毛视频淗ere You Come Again无毛视频� is probably one of the first stage productions of any kind to incorporate COVID-19 into the story. When Barre and Vilanch were writing it, they wondered if the pandemic would still resonate with audiences in the long term. But, according to Vilanch, 无毛视频淚 always felt the pandemic was like World War II. It happened a long time ago, but we无毛视频檙e still writing about it. It无毛视频檚 international, it无毛视频檚 a global thing.无毛视频�
After 无毛视频淗ere You Come Again无毛视频� finishes its Pittsburgh run, it will be moving to Nashville, where they hope Parton will have the opportunity to see it for herself. In the meantime, Barre is not sure if the musical will eventually land on Broadway, but he says it could.
无毛视频淲e secured the rights for smaller venues because it is a small show,无毛视频� he explained. 无毛视频淭hat was intentional. So, we had the rights to do the show in a venue up to 750 seats around the country and 500 seats in New York. That could all change obviously, depending on the ambitions of any producers who come along.无毛视频�
Showtimes are 7 p.m. next Thursday and on Jan. 13-14, Jan. 17-22 and Jan. 24-29. Matinee performances are also set for 2 p.m. on Jan. 14, Jan. 21-22 and Jan. 28-29. For tickets or additional information, go online to pittsburghclo.org.