Recently there was a treat on for all the Dolly fans out there. “This Dumb Blonde Ain’t Nobody’s Fool” by Sinead Murphy and the Nine to Fives was on in the Draíocht Studio, Blanchardstown.

As well as being a top class songwriter, singer, musician and performer, Dolly is, in her own words, a ‘larger-than-life character’ which makes her so much fun to take on as a role. I’ve always been a huge fan, not just of the well-known hits like ‘Jolene’ and ‘Nine to Five’ but also of her lesser known gems, some of which I’ve yet to work into the show.

I think Dolly is popular for a variety of reasons, not least the fact that she’s incredibly talented in the ways I’ve already mentioned, but also it’s to do with the iconic persona she’s constructed over the years. Even those not familiar with her music know her for her other assets.

That ever-lasting appeal has a lot to do with her ability to re-invent herself; from country music star to movie star to pop and rock star to business lady and back again, she’s got all areas covered and a theme park too…

It was near impossible to choose which of her songs to do – she’s written over 3000, (she apparently hasn’t even managed to record all of them yet). I short-listed ‘down’ to eighty songs (a mere 8 hour set…), got that down to 30, then eventually 22. There are loads I’m planning to rework into the show in rotation soon. Or else I’ll just have to do a Dolly Alternative tribute, full of lesser known but brilliant numbers like ‘Down from Dover’ and ‘The Grass is Blue’.

There are so many questions I’d like to ask Dolly, none of ‘em would get past her PR team probably. But I would love to know how she managed to maintain that absolute core certainty that she would make it huge one day, so much so that in her early days she refused Elvis when he wanted to record ‘I Will Always Love You’, on the basis that they would then own the rights to her song. By the time Whitney Houston recorded it, Dolly had enough clout to retain ownership. A wise move…but to have the gumption to turn down the King is pretty impressive!

The show takes its title ‘This Dumb Blonde Ain’t Nobody’s Fool’ from Dolly’s first hit, ‘Dumb Blonde’, in 1967. Me and the band (the Nine to Fives) cover a selection of Dolly’s hits since then – from the pure country of ‘Coat of Many Colours’ to the 80s dance rock of ‘Nine to Five’, taking in some blues moments along the way (‘PMS Blues’) and even some spoofy fun (‘I’ll Oilwells Love You’). There’s some huge wigs, anecdotes and the inevitable boob jokes – it’s a fun show for fans or those who’re just looking for a good night out. (I was going to call it ‘More than Wigs and Tits’ but no-one would print that on their posters….)

Costume-wise, I get a large amount of design help  from Niamh Murphy, performance artist and producer/performer with ‘Gringo and the Pony Girls’.

The reception so far has been great, from both fans and those who simply came along for the laugh.

I’m doing another show (called ‘Dancing at the Ballroom of Romance’) for the next little while so we’ve to juggle dates and finalise venues for the next Dolly shows, watch this space and I’ll keep you posted!