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Dolly Parton – review Dolly Parton – review
(7 months later)
She sings like a sparrow, plays at least eight instruments, darts She sings like a sparrow, plays at least eight instruments, darts around the stage like an enthusiastic child, offers the homilies of a worldy-wise woman, prattles with the warm familiarity of a talkative cousin and lands some gags with the timing of an expert comedian.
around the stage like an enthusiastic child, offers the homilies of a Though she’s been a stage, screen, TV and, of course, music industry professional for more than 50 years, the relentless entertainment engine that is Dolly Parton Superstar yet inspires wonder for practice of her talent and the focus her craft. “I always wanted to be in showbusiness!” she hollered to the audience more than a couple of times at Rod Laver last night. After watching her over the course of the three hours she spent onstage the conclusion reached is that Dolly surpassed her dream long ago: this woman isn’t in showbusiness, she’s showbusiness itself.
worldy-wise woman, prattles with the warm familiarity of a talkative cousin and This is a performer who long ago worked out what her audience likes and gives them plenty of it. As expected, she appears in her signature rhinestone couture with her blonde wig piled high and her fake fingernails long as talons – and she mocks herself sure in the knowledge that lines like “It costs a lot of money to look this cheap!” wins her her audience’s empathy, even as she then proceeds to display the kind of singular talent only a handful of individuals will ever know.
lands some gags with the timing of an expert comedian. Her soprano vibrato deftly navigates the tenderness of her own hits like the beloved Coat of Many Colours, soars in folk tunes like her extraordinary unaccompanied rendition of Little Sparrow, and annihilates the higher registers of the climactic I Will Always Love You. She is comparable only to Barbra Streisand in her ability to inhabit a song’s emotional persona; her covers of Bob Dylan’s Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright, Collective Soul’s Shine and an unforgettable performance of Bon Jovi’s Lay Your Hands on Me achieve the precious magic of harmonising one musical personality to another through the vicarious experience of song.
Though she’s been a She accompanies herself on harmonica to Dylan, on a Hammond organ to Bon Jovi and to other songs with fiddle, banjo, guitar, Appalachian dulcimer and autoharp - and at one point blaring out the theme song to the Benny Hill Show on a saxophone. For the fans, there’s a medley of her most popular tunes, and the show ends on her known word-for-word hits and an invite to the crowd to stand and sing along. Of course they do!
stage, screen, TV and, of course, music industry professional for more than 50 years, the relentless entertainment engine that is Dolly Parton Superstar And if this isn’t impressive enough, the realisation inevitably hits at some point: my god, this woman is 68 years old. I’d recommend you go see Dolly Parton in concert not because she’s getting older - but certainly because you are.
yet inspires wonder for practice of her talent and the focus her craft. “I
always wanted to be in showbusiness!” she hollered to the audience more
than a couple of times at Rod Laver last night. After watching her over the course of the three hours she spent onstage the
conclusion reached is that Dolly surpassed her dream long ago: this woman isn’t
in showbusiness, she’s showbusiness itself.
This is a performer who long ago worked out what her audience
likes and gives them plenty of it. As expected, she appears in her signature
rhinestone couture with her blonde wig piled high and her fake fingernails long
as talons – and she mocks herself sure in the knowledge that lines like
“It costs a lot of money to look this cheap!” wins her her audience’s
empathy, even as she then proceeds to display the kind of singular talent only
a handful of individuals will ever know.
Her soprano vibrato deftly navigates
the tenderness of her own hits like the beloved Coat of Many
Colours, soars in folk tunes like her extraordinary unaccompanied
rendition of Little Sparrow, and annihilates the higher registers
of the climactic I Will Always Love You. She is comparable only to
Barbra Streisand in her ability to inhabit a song’s emotional persona; her covers
of Bob Dylan’s Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright, Collective Soul’s Shine and an unforgettable performance of Bon Jovi’s Lay Your
Hands on Me achieve the precious magic of harmonising one musical
personality to another through the vicarious experience of song.
She
accompanies herself on harmonica to Dylan, on a Hammond organ to Bon Jovi and
to other songs with fiddle, banjo, guitar, Appalachian dulcimer and autoharp -
and at one point blaring out the theme song to the Benny Hill Show on a saxophone.
For the fans, there’s a medley of her most popular tunes, and the show ends on
her known word-for-word hits and an invite to the crowd to stand and sing
along. Of course they do!
And if this isn’t impressive enough, the realisation inevitably
hits at some point: my god, this woman is 68 years old. I’d recommend
you go see Dolly Parton in concert not because she’s getting older - but
certainly because you are.