Dolly Parton musical’s gay character sparks homophobic abuse from audience members
Dolly Parton has been outspoken in her pro-LGBTQ+ views. (Getty)
A Dolly Parton musical has sparked homophobic abuse from some members of the audience who were apparently surprised to discover that the show included a gay character.
Here You Come Again, a musical about Parton, featuring her hits such as “I Will Always Love You” and “Jolene”, was staged at the Opera House Manchester for five nights, ending on Saturday (8 February).
Taking to TikTok, Steven Webb, who stars as comedian and Parton fan Kevin, opposite Tricia Paoluccio as the the singer, wrote: “The amount of audience members we have had to eject due to homophobia is insane.”
During the final performance, one person was removed from the auditorium for “shouting out slurs”. The show had been stopped on Wednesday “because a woman was so disgusted that there was a gay character on stage”.
Webb went on to say: “She was shouting out then all the audience started shouting at her and there was a massive ruckus.
‘London was the worst’
“This is a Dolly Parton musical, first of all. It’s just me and Dolly Parton on stage, my character and Dolly Parton. London was the worst, which is crazy to me.
“I remember one guy who was shouting the F slur, he was like: ‘I’m not here to watch some f***ing f****t talk about his boyfriend, I just want to see Dolly Parton’. And it’s like, ‘It’s a Dolly Parton musical, mate. It’s going to be a little bit gay, obviously’.
“It has really opened my eyes because we are in such a bubble in this industry. But travelling the country and seeing how many people cannot bear to see a gay person depicted on stage, it’s wild.”
‘It exists, it’s not going anywhere’
The Book of Mormon star added: “It would be like if I had that reaction to the colour blue. It exists, it’s not going anywhere but I could not escape it.
@thatsteviewebb #musicaltheatre ♬ original sound – Stevie Webb
“I feel really bad for them because I’d be like: ‘Oh f**k, the sky’. Eventually I’d probably just realise it’s not actually hurting me, it’s not affecting my life, it’s just blue and it’s just not my favourite colour.”
Parton has a long history of philanthropy, much of which helps LGBTQ+ groups and charities.
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