Review: Pace and pathos in this sumptuous celebration of Dolly Parton's greatest hits at Chichester Festival Theatre

It’s billed as ‘joyous’ but as fans of her country music know, wrapped within the lyrics of some of her finest works are bitter sweet themes too and that is not lost in a script full of pace and pathos.

Set during lockdown, Kevin has returned to his parents’ home in Halifax. His relationship with Jeremy appears to have collapsed, his shaky career as a comedian never quite got off the ground, and now he is stranded in the attic – forced to exit and enter by ladder to protect mum and dad from any possible infection from covid.

Aged forty and totally fed-up he is deep in the self-pity zone when fantasy help arrives. Christians sometimes ask what Jesus would do in a difficult situation. But Kevin worships at the record label of Dolly Parton and he turns to her for divine inspiration.

He is not to be disappointed. It seems she doesn’t just operate Nine To Five. His heroine returns at the drop of a hat – complete with band and all her favourite numbers – and brings warmth, familiarity, and some Dolly tough love to his life.

Steven Webb as Kevin and Tricia Paoluccio as Dolly simply dazzle. The humour is razor sharp and all the favourite songs are showcased with power and style – Jolene, 9 to 5, Islands in the Stream, I Will Always Love You, and Here You Come Again.

But the storyline delivers a powerful punch too, for many will identify with Kevin’s struggles and the hopelessness that lockdown magnified.

Yes, Here You Come Again is twee and contrived.

Who cares? It is energetic and energising, it lifts the spirits with some of the best-loved country music of a generation. It is warm, vibrant, funny, and ultimately utterly optimistic.

Kevin represents countless people of all ages whose hopes and mental wellbeing were tested to their limits by the brutal destructiveness and loneliness of lockdown.

The audience loved it. So did I. It’s irresistible.