theSpace @ Symposium Hall
Venue 43 13:45 daily until 25th August
The Queen of Country, Dolly Parton, needs no introduction to most people; she seems to have been around forever. She’s one of those entertainers that many people affect to despise but that won’t annoy her loyal fans one wee bit. They love her energy and her passion. Behind the big wigs, silicon tits and loud clothes, there is a fascinating story of success against the odds.
This production is in the new (to me) ‘show-umentary’ format. A large screen with a running commentary tells Dolly’s life story from her earliest days, punctuated by songs from all parts of her career. Although I haven’t come across this format in a live show before, it really works. I learned a lot about her early upbringing in dire poverty in the Smokey Mountains of Tennessee. She certainly didn’t get it easy. Who knew that the sentimental song, Coat of Many Colours was based on her actual childhood? This knowledge adds extra pathos to the song. I could feel involuntary tears trickling down my cheeks.
Dolly draws a big crowd, even in cosmopolitan Edinburgh. While Hannah Richards looks nothing like Dolly Parton she sure can hit those high notes in Tennessee Mountain Home and I Will Always Love You. Her renditions of these songs and others in her country music and mainstream pop canon delighted the audience. This production is bound to pack them in for the rest of the run. Hannah told the audience that The Dolly Parton Story might tour the country. If you can’t see it in Edinburgh look out for it somewhere near you soon. You’ll not be disappointed.
Reviewed by David Kerr
#EdFringe2018 #EdFringe #IntoTheUnknown
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