Journey To Dollywood

There is a lot to be admired in JOURNEY TO DOLLYWOOD currently playing at the Matrix theatre in West Hollywood. I liked the acting, the basic plot, the set, and I grew to have some feelings for the characters. There is heart in this dramedy about a waitress with an obsession with Dolly Parton and Dolly even offers her services in several voiceovers, and photos taken with the lead and her baby. The story takes place in a diner where Jolene, named after the Dolly Parton song, holds court. Jolene is played by playwright Jessie McCormick and almost hits the mark. She covers a lot of emotional ground here but when she’s not in reverie or flashbacks the character is really too dour to get our total sympathy, though anyone who likes Dolly cant be all bad; as Jolene says there are some who follow the Dahli Lama and others who follow other Dollys. Jolene’s problem is that her life is pretty bleak and the people who surround her don’t really help. There is the on- again off- again fiancé, played brilliantly by Erik Van Wyck, who is a little crazy in the head after a NASCAR accident and has a violent streak in him. Then there is the ditzy but adorable waitress well played by Melissa Greenspan who takes advantage of the couples rocky relationship to have a romp in the hay with Van Wyck’s character.  Lastly, there is the “stranger” who wanders in because his car is broken and stirs Jolene’s heart by giving her Q Tips, an event that she fantasizes into a marriage scene. Henry Gummer plays the interloper but I felt the transition he has to make between shy music writer to wildly gesticulating guy who was trapped with these others was a tad overdone.

     Ms McCormick has almost written a good piece here but it needs to be fleshed out. I couldn’t help think of those other diner plays, WHEN ARE YOU COMIN BACK TO THE FIVE AND DIME JIMMY DEAN JIMMY DEAN and BUS STOP to name but two, and JOURNEY TO DOLLYWOOD came up a bad also-ran. The main character of Jolene is also not complete and in fact her motives seem cloudy. Does she want to get married, find love, live the life depicted in Dolly Parton’s songs, or is her real dream just to get to Dollywood. Perhaps Ms McCormick is to close to the material and lost her objectivity by playing the role herself. Rod McLachlan directs but really doesn’t support his actors very well. His staging is flat and perfunctory. This said I still found myself moved by this little piece and hope this is just the first step in its realization.

MATRIX THEATRE 7657  Melrose Los Angeles 323) 960-4418 or plays411.com
Through Nov. 3