Credit Dolly Parton for being one of the few humans alive who can bridge the gap between Democrats and Republicans, grandmothers and daughters, good ol’ boys and gay boys. All were in attendance Monday night at Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater. Parton performed her hits and the same timeworn comedy routines she's done for decades. The stories— like the one about her admiring the town whore and saying she wanted to grow up to be what her momma deemed "trash" — often lasted longer than the actual songs.
The diverse crowd, though, gobbled it up like it was cotton candy, laughing at every one of Parton's Poconos-worthy routines. The iconic 62-year-old Country Queen — decked out in a sequined dress that kept her most famous attributes at chin-level throughout the evening — poked fun at her boobs, wig and fruit fly status, even bringing up a strapping young man in nothing much more than tight-fitting overalls. “Eat your heart out girls,” Parton cracked, “and some of you guys.”
This article appears in Oct 22-28, 2008.