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The Age
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Age
She fell in love with Dolly Parton at 5. Now she's the next best thing
Tricia Paoluccio was five years old and playing at her father's office in Modesto, California, when she first heard the song that would change her life. Dolly Parton's Here You Come Again came on the radio, and she excitedly demanded that someone type out the lyrics – these were the days before Google – so they wouldn't be lost to time. She memorised the song and it became a constant companion. Now the singer and actor is about to reprise her role as Parton in the show she has toured all over the United States and the UK. Here You Come Again, which opens in Melbourne next week, sees Paoluccio undergo a remarkable transformation to become the singer she has been imitating since childhood. Ironically, the distinctive voice she had perfected as a kid – 'that crack and that scratch and that vibrato' – had to be unlearned when Paoluccio moved to New York to become a professional actor. Her Broadway credits since then include Fiddler on the Roof and A View from the Bridge, while on screen she has had recurring roles on Homeland and Law and Order SVU. 'I actually had to take singing lessons to figure out my real voice, which is a little bit lower and huskier than Dolly's,' she says. And yet today, as she slips into effortless renditions of the country singer mid-sentence, the effect is nothing short of uncanny; reviews consistently note that Paoluccio is able to capture every one of Parton's vocal idiosyncrasies, right down to the syrupy, hiccupy laugh. It wasn't just Parton's ability to write a catchy melody that won Paoluccio's heart. 'I think it was her storytelling. I loved the stories of her songs, so my imagination went with the song. When I heard Two Doors Down, that's what I envisioned being an adult would be like. I'd live in an apartment building and there'd be a party down the hall. With Here You Come Again, I thought, 'Wait, she's going back to someone who plays games with her head?' Her writing really captured my imagination.' The Dolly Parton that Here You Come Again celebrates is the glamorous version that dominated the airwaves in the 1970s and '80s. Parton's fame dipped in the '90s, when a more minimalist aesthetic became fashionable, but Paoluccio loves that the singer always took that in her stride. 'She didn't let it get to her, didn't go into a state of depression and drinking and drugs and numbing yourself. She stayed creative, productive. She channelled her energy into becoming very philanthropic.' It was during this period that Parton's Dollywood Foundation embarked on a series of ambitious altruistic endeavours. She promised middle schoolers $US500 if they graduated from high school, reportedly reducing drop-out rates from 36 per cent to 6 per cent. Her Imagination Library provided free books to kids in order to encourage reading (its Australian arm has distributed more than 1 million here). 'She hasn't just had a lucky life. She grew up very, very poor, very challenged. She knows hardship, and that's why she has such great empathy and great heart for people. She's never forgotten her roots. I think that's a huge part of her appeal,' says Paoluccio. It's also the spirit that the musical aims to conjure: the story follows a 40-something Parton fan forced to move back in with his parents. In his dejected isolation, he is visited by his idol, who helps him navigate the mess of his life and find a way out the other end. The show had its genesis in a somewhat similar situation: as New York was going into lockdown, Paoluccio and her husband, Gabriel Barre, sequestered themselves in a little log cabin in the foothills of California ('no Wi-Fi, no TV, no washer-dryer'). Barre, a director and actor himself, was offered a small government grant to come up with a two-person show, and naturally thought of his wife's favourite singer. 'So we had this time and the space to do it. We didn't have permission to do it, but it didn't matter because all we were getting the money for was to write it.' Eventually, they staged a Zoom reading for their producers, and invited their lawyer to sit in. It turned out the lawyer loved it. It also turned out that he knew Dolly Parton's lawyer. 'He reached out, just because he believed in it. And then he called us up and said, 'Dolly watched the Zoom, read the script, loves it, loves Tricia, is giving us the worldwide rights to all of her music,' says Paoluccio. (Parton's take on her own legend, DOLLY: A True Original Musical, premieres in Nashville this month.) While Paoluccio had been singing Dolly Parton her whole life, she'd never attempted her speaking voice. 'So when this was actually going to happen, I worked with a very celebrated dialect coach named Eric Singer, and like a little scientist, we broke down her speaking voice and got this.' Later, they brought in additional band members and wrote them back-up singing parts as well as giving them dialogue for a range of characters off-stage, but the core of the story still focuses on Parton and her fan. Paoluccio's physical transformation is as surprising as her vocal gymnastics – sans hair, make-up and costume, you wouldn't recognise her as the same person who commands the stage. 'When I leave the stage door, people are like, 'Wait, are you Dolly?' I do not look like her in real life, but when I have the eyelashes and the wigs and the boobs and the wave, I look like her in that era.' Loading Judging by the number of online images purporting to be Parton without make-up, there's a good chance that the star herself bears little resemblance to her public persona. 'Dolly with or without make-up is the most beautiful woman in the world to me,' says Paoluccio. 'There is a famous quote from [American religious leader] Mary Baker Eddy that I love: 'The recipe for beauty is to have less illusion and more soul'. For me, Dolly is the queen of illusion but it is her soul that makes her so beautiful.' The show is co-written by Bruce Vilanch, an Emmy-award winner who has collaborated with the likes of Bette Midler, Whoopi Goldberg and David Letterman. 'He had written for Dolly, so he knew her very well,' says Paoluccio. 'And because we wanted a lot of pop cultural references, we wanted a comedy writer like him to help us with that.' After its post-pandemic premiere, Here You Come Again travelled everywhere in the US from Texas to Delaware and Connecticut before heading across the pond for a 31-city tour of the UK. 'We were shocked at how beloved Dolly is in the UK. I was told that the audiences were going to be very reserved and very formal and wouldn't stand up at the end. But I think that Dolly does something to the audience members where they felt like they had to let their hair down. They were so into it.' The show they saw wasn't exactly the same as the one that played US stages. Wherever it's been, Paoluccio and Barre have commissioned local writers to give it a makeover that speaks more directly to its audience. 'When we wrote it, we knew that this could be a show that toured the world. Anywhere that people love Dolly Parton, we could do the show. And we were willing and wanting to very much tell the story for the people who are buying those tickets.' The show might change as it travels, but its makers are adamant that one thing will stay the same. 'Dolly is Dolly,' says Paoluccio. 'And it's the greatest honour of my life. I'll never have a role that I love doing more than this.'
Sydney Morning Herald
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Sydney Morning Herald
She fell in love with Dolly Parton at 5. Now she's the next best thing
Tricia Paoluccio was five years old and playing at her father's office in Modesto, California, when she first heard the song that would change her life. Dolly Parton's Here You Come Again came on the radio, and she excitedly demanded that someone type out the lyrics – these were the days before Google – so they wouldn't be lost to time. She memorised the song and it became a constant companion. Now the singer and actor is about to reprise her role as Parton in the show she has toured all over the United States and the UK. Here You Come Again, which opens in Melbourne next week, sees Paoluccio undergo a remarkable transformation to become the singer she has been imitating since childhood. Ironically, the distinctive voice she had perfected as a kid – 'that crack and that scratch and that vibrato' – had to be unlearned when Paoluccio moved to New York to become a professional actor. Her Broadway credits since then include Fiddler on the Roof and A View from the Bridge, while on screen she has had recurring roles on Homeland and Law and Order SVU. 'I actually had to take singing lessons to figure out my real voice, which is a little bit lower and huskier than Dolly's,' she says. And yet today, as she slips into effortless renditions of the country singer mid-sentence, the effect is nothing short of uncanny; reviews consistently note that Paoluccio is able to capture every one of Parton's vocal idiosyncrasies, right down to the syrupy, hiccupy laugh. It wasn't just Parton's ability to write a catchy melody that won Paoluccio's heart. 'I think it was her storytelling. I loved the stories of her songs, so my imagination went with the song. When I heard Two Doors Down, that's what I envisioned being an adult would be like. I'd live in an apartment building and there'd be a party down the hall. With Here You Come Again, I thought, 'Wait, she's going back to someone who plays games with her head?' Her writing really captured my imagination.' The Dolly Parton that Here You Come Again celebrates is the glamorous version that dominated the airwaves in the 1970s and '80s. Parton's fame dipped in the '90s, when a more minimalist aesthetic became fashionable, but Paoluccio loves that the singer always took that in her stride. 'She didn't let it get to her, didn't go into a state of depression and drinking and drugs and numbing yourself. She stayed creative, productive. She channelled her energy into becoming very philanthropic.' It was during this period that Parton's Dollywood Foundation embarked on a series of ambitious altruistic endeavours. She promised middle schoolers $US500 if they graduated from high school, reportedly reducing drop-out rates from 36 per cent to 6 per cent. Her Imagination Library provided free books to kids in order to encourage reading (its Australian arm has distributed more than 1 million here). 'She hasn't just had a lucky life. She grew up very, very poor, very challenged. She knows hardship, and that's why she has such great empathy and great heart for people. She's never forgotten her roots. I think that's a huge part of her appeal,' says Paoluccio. It's also the spirit that the musical aims to conjure: the story follows a 40-something Parton fan forced to move back in with his parents. In his dejected isolation, he is visited by his idol, who helps him navigate the mess of his life and find a way out the other end. The show had its genesis in a somewhat similar situation: as New York was going into lockdown, Paoluccio and her husband, Gabriel Barre, sequestered themselves in a little log cabin in the foothills of California ('no Wi-Fi, no TV, no washer-dryer'). Barre, a director and actor himself, was offered a small government grant to come up with a two-person show, and naturally thought of his wife's favourite singer. 'So we had this time and the space to do it. We didn't have permission to do it, but it didn't matter because all we were getting the money for was to write it.' Eventually, they staged a Zoom reading for their producers, and invited their lawyer to sit in. It turned out the lawyer loved it. It also turned out that he knew Dolly Parton's lawyer. 'He reached out, just because he believed in it. And then he called us up and said, 'Dolly watched the Zoom, read the script, loves it, loves Tricia, is giving us the worldwide rights to all of her music,' says Paoluccio. (Parton's take on her own legend, DOLLY: A True Original Musical, premieres in Nashville this month.) While Paoluccio had been singing Dolly Parton her whole life, she'd never attempted her speaking voice. 'So when this was actually going to happen, I worked with a very celebrated dialect coach named Eric Singer, and like a little scientist, we broke down her speaking voice and got this.' Later, they brought in additional band members and wrote them back-up singing parts as well as giving them dialogue for a range of characters off-stage, but the core of the story still focuses on Parton and her fan. Paoluccio's physical transformation is as surprising as her vocal gymnastics – sans hair, make-up and costume, you wouldn't recognise her as the same person who commands the stage. 'When I leave the stage door, people are like, 'Wait, are you Dolly?' I do not look like her in real life, but when I have the eyelashes and the wigs and the boobs and the wave, I look like her in that era.' Loading Judging by the number of online images purporting to be Parton without make-up, there's a good chance that the star herself bears little resemblance to her public persona. 'Dolly with or without make-up is the most beautiful woman in the world to me,' says Paoluccio. 'There is a famous quote from [American religious leader] Mary Baker Eddy that I love: 'The recipe for beauty is to have less illusion and more soul'. For me, Dolly is the queen of illusion but it is her soul that makes her so beautiful.' The show is co-written by Bruce Vilanch, an Emmy-award winner who has collaborated with the likes of Bette Midler, Whoopi Goldberg and David Letterman. 'He had written for Dolly, so he knew her very well,' says Paoluccio. 'And because we wanted a lot of pop cultural references, we wanted a comedy writer like him to help us with that.' After its post-pandemic premiere, Here You Come Again travelled everywhere in the US from Texas to Delaware and Connecticut before heading across the pond for a 31-city tour of the UK. 'We were shocked at how beloved Dolly is in the UK. I was told that the audiences were going to be very reserved and very formal and wouldn't stand up at the end. But I think that Dolly does something to the audience members where they felt like they had to let their hair down. They were so into it.' The show they saw wasn't exactly the same as the one that played US stages. Wherever it's been, Paoluccio and Barre have commissioned local writers to give it a makeover that speaks more directly to its audience. 'When we wrote it, we knew that this could be a show that toured the world. Anywhere that people love Dolly Parton, we could do the show. And we were willing and wanting to very much tell the story for the people who are buying those tickets.' The show might change as it travels, but its makers are adamant that one thing will stay the same. 'Dolly is Dolly,' says Paoluccio. 'And it's the greatest honour of my life. I'll never have a role that I love doing more than this.'
Hamilton Spectator
27-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Hamilton Spectator
Busy Weekend at RJC High School in Rosthern
The walls of RJC High School in Rosthern saw a flurry of activity last week, starting with the annual musical performances from Thursday through Saturday. A hardworking crew and a dedicated cast of actors entertained audiences in a packed house with the high school adaptation of Fiddler on the Roof. Director Adelle Sawatzky and assistant director Mieke Malan transitioned high school students into the unforgettable residents of Anatevka, and a 'black shirt' crew who operated stage lights, spotlights, and sound systems; built and changed props and sets; created costumes and applied makeup; and provided accompaniment. This is the third time RJC students have performed the musical, but each rendition offers a unique experience, as every student and director brings new skills and perspectives to the characters on stage. Adelle Sawatzky joined RJC as the new music director in the fall, making this her first RJC musical production. In her notes included in the program, Sawatzky wrote, 'It has been my absolute pleasure to work with the fine young people who are featured in this production, both on stage and behind the scenes. The cast and crew have been nothing short of amazing in their dedication to this production and the showmanship required to tell this story well… It has been my great delight to see the village of Anatevka come to life on stage.' As the final strains of Anatevka rang out and the goodbye scene brought the yearly musical to a close on Saturday evening, the Grade 12 students donned their caps and gowns to celebrate their graduation and step forward into their next chapters. The Baccalaureate worship service was held at the Rosthern Mennonite Church, with the graduation exercises following at 2:30 in the RJC auditorium. Both events were livestreamed on YouTube and are still available for viewing. RJC High School is an accredited high school by the Saskatchewan Ministry of Education and is a member of the Saskatchewan Association of Historical High Schools. Historical High Schools receive 80 percent per-student funding of the provincial per-student average, but provide an important educational niche in the province. Funding is provided annually to these schools to cover a portion of education costs, while the remaining portion is typically covered through tuition fees. Provincial funding for Historical High Schools results from long-standing historical arrangements that were continued after legislation for independent schools was enacted in 1989. There are four Historical High Schools in Saskatchewan: Notre Dame High School, Luther College High School in Regina, LCBI High School, and RJC High School. Each year, RJC welcomes students from all around the world, creating a context for students to share global perspectives and cultures. A few years ago, facing dropping enrollment, RJC High School embarked on a journey to revitalize the school. The 'Turnaround Strategy for Renewal and Growth' included reaching beyond the alumni and churches, engaging with other religious groups and towns, seeking out new markets, including homeschoolers and parents seeking alternatives, and reaching out to more international student populations. Another part of the Strategy was to decrease tuition. Through the community's support, including at the school's many special events like the gala fundraiser and the annual musical, the school can offer financial assistance to students demonstrating financial need through bursaries. The upcoming school year will mark a new chapter at RJC High School. In response to requests from parents and students, as well as to enhance the school's program and mission, RJC High School is excited about the addition of grade 9 for the 2025-2026 school year. Grade 9 has evolved to become the natural intake for most high schools in the province, and an increasing number of students and families have requested this program, which has been a consideration of the RJC Board of Directors for many years. Joining the RJC High School staff this fall is Hillary Fast, filling the new teaching position created by the addition of Grade 9. Hillary grew up in Saskatoon, SK and is a proud alumnus of the RJC class of 2011. She has a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology and a Bachelor of Education from the University of Saskatchewan. After completing university, Hillary was a substitute teacher in the Saskatoon Public School Division, then filled a one-year teaching contract at RJC High School in 2019-2020, before accepting a position at Maymont Central School teaching primarily science and mathematics to Grades 7-12 students. During her five-year teaching career, Hillary has been involved in coaching a variety of extracurricular sports. RJC High School offers a comprehensive program that includes athletics, arts, community involvement, and faith-based activities, which, when combined with small class sizes that allow staff to provide individualized attention to students, creates a school experience as unique as the school itself. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Indianapolis Star
06-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Indianapolis Star
'Great Gatsby' and 'Scarlet Letter' are on Civic Theatre's new season
Classic literature and drama form the backbone of Booth Tarkington Civic Theatre's new season. Kicking off the season in October is "Something Rotten" — a musical comedy that plays on connections to William Shakespeare's work and even makes the iconic playwright himself a cause of action. In early 2026, the theater, which is a resident company at Carmel's Allied Solutions Center for the Performing Arts, will perform stage adaptations of "The Great Gatsby" and "The Scarlet Letter." Beloved classics "A Christmas Story" and "Fiddler on the Roof" will round out the season. Subscriptions are on sale now via or by contacting the Allied Solutions Center for the Performing Arts box office at 317-843-3800 or tickets@ Single tickets will go on sale July 24. All shows take place in the Tarkington theater unless otherwise noted. Here's the Civic Theatre season lineup. Oct. 3-18 In this musical comedy set in 1590, brothers Nick and Nigel Bottom are struggling to write a hit play and finding it impossible to compete with a famed playwright known as "The Bard." After a soothsayer predicts that theater's future combines singing, drama and dancing, the duo begins to write the first-ever musical. Summer plans: 100+ free live concerts around central Indiana in 2025 Dec. 5-27 Growing up in fictional Hohman, Indiana, in the 1940s, 9-year-old Ralphie Parker exhausts all possible avenues to obtain his dream Christmas gift: an official Red Ryder carbine-action 200-shot Range Model air rifle. Feb. 6-21, 2026 in the Studio Theater Long Island newcomer Nick Carraway chronicles the story of Jay Gatsby, a self-made millionaire who pursues the love of his life, the already-married Daisy Buchanan, against the decadent backdrop of Jazz Age New York. The IndianapoLIST newsletter has the best shows, art and eats — and the stories behind them March 13-28, 2026 in the Studio Theater In this reimagining of the classic novel, Hester Prynne raises her daughter in a Massachusetts Bay society where women are punished for asserting independence and colonists deal with violence, superstition and repression that will wind their way into the soon-to-be-formed America. April 24-May 9, 2026 In the small village of Anatevka, a milkman's family deals with the clash between tradition and changing times as they face antisemitism in Czarist Russia.
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Kennedy Center Revenue Crashes After Trump Hijacks Program
President Donald Trump's MAGA makeover of D.C.'s Kennedy Center is sputtering amid plunging sales. Revenue from subscriptions for the upcoming season of programming is down 36 percent from last year—dropping from $4.4 million in 2024 to just $2.8 million so far this year, The Washington Post reported, citing data shared by former Kennedy Center employees and confirmed by a current staff member. Single-ticket sales also dropped 50 percent in April and May, compared with the same period last year, according to The New York Times. The plummeting sales suggest Trump—despite boasting at a recent board dinner that he had 'eliminated DEI initiatives' and 'brought back family-friendly programming that will attract large audiences once again'—may have pushed an already struggling institution deeper into financial trouble. Revenue from theater performances, which Trump vowed to make 'non-woke,' took the hardest hit, dropping 82 percent in the first two weeks of the subscription campaign compared to last year. More than a dozen acts canceled their planned runs in the wake of Trump's takeover, including the wildly popular musical Hamilton—with creator Lin-Manuel Miranda stating, 'The Kennedy Center was not created in this spirit, and we're not going to be a part of it while it is the Trump Kennedy Center.' Trump, who in his youth dreamed of becoming a theater producer, has suggested bringing in musicals like Cats, Phantom of the Opera, and Fiddler on the Roof to replace 'woke' programming. One former Kennedy Center staffer who spoke to the Post said, 'If I am the new administration, I am certainly worried by these numbers, especially the theater dollars,' noting that theater is 'by far the largest driver of revenue for the center for ticket sales.' Richard Grennell, the MAGA firebrand whom Trump appointed as president of the center, has repeatedly sounded the alarm over the institution's financial health, accusing previous leaders of mismanaging its finances. In an effort to improve the center's finances, Trump will attend a gala fundraiser for the center next week. Invitations offer a gold sponsorship for $2 million and silver for $100,000 the Times said, and both include photo opportunities with the president. Following the fundraiser, Trump is set to watch a performance of Les Misérables—one of his longtime favorites, per the Times. However, at least 10 cast members are reportedly planning to boycott his attendance.
