Dolly Would
“No. You have to decide – it’s all or nothing with this. You can’t be a part-time Parton.”
When Denize falls in love with washed-out Kenny Rogers impersonator, Martin, her dreams of being a singer are long forgotten. But then ‘Kenny’ asks her to be his ‘Dolly’. A romantic comedy about the highs and lows of pretending to be Dolly Parton.
Dolly Would was first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2012.
DENIZE: Sharon Percy
JOANNE: Libby Davison
MARTIN: Lee Ross
with Tracy Wiles, Gerard McDermott and Victoria Inez Hardy
Directed by James Robinson
“People always ask me how long it takes to do my hair. I don’t know, I’m never there.” Dolly Parton
Dolly Would takes us into the uber-kitsch world of the Dolly Parton tribute act – a world of rhinestone encrusted cocktail dresses, silver fringed pedal pushers and star-spangled stetsons. But most of all, it’s a world of music: From 9 to 5 to Jolene, Dolly’s hits are irresistible.
But as aspiring singer Denize falls under Dolly’s spell, it’s not long before the wigs get heavier and the makeup thicker …
“Once there was a Dolly Parton look-alike contest on Santa Monica Boulevard – Dolly lined up with all the other contestants and she lost. How could I look like a woman who doesn’t even look like herself?”.
“ … Dolly Would is about love and country music and family and, in the end, self-determination. I’ve been following Alison’s writing for a while and I like her lightness of touch, her sense of the absurd and her sure-footed feeling for plot … and the ending is perfect. Hunt it out on the iPlayer.” - Ian McMillan, Pick of the Week (BBCR4 8/1/12)
PREVIEWS …
“Author sees Dolly drama find a home” [The Journal, 2/1/12]
