The plot of Here You Come Again is so thin it sometimes verges on a Dolly Parton tribute show. Fortunately, the leading lady is such a delightfully good replica, it’s hard not to be swept along, especially when she sings Dolly’s greatest hits.

Lifelong fan Tricia Paoluccio not only sings but also speaks and laughs almost exactly like the Queen of Country in this jukebox musical, which she co-created with fellow Americans Bruce Vilanch and director Gabriel Barre.

Tricia Paoluccio in Here You Come Again. Photo © Cameron Grant

Here You Come Again, which has Dolly’s blessing, premiered very far off Broadway, in Wilmington, Delaware, in 2022. It’s since toured the UK, where it was adapted for British audiences, and is now in Australia with local tweaks by Fiona Harris and Mike McLeish.

For this run, it’s set in the regional Victorian city of Bendigo, where 40-something Kevin has moved back in with his parents after being dumped by his boyfriend. In the attic bedroom of his youth that’s plastered with Dolly Parton posters, he mopes about before his lifelong idol magically appears.

This fairy godmother Dolly treats Kevin to lots of encouraging...