Dolly Parton announced Tuesday that her autobiographical stage music ‘Dolly: An original music“Will have its world premiere in Nashville in July, the first public stop on the road to a planned Broadway opening 2026.
Directed by Tony winner Bartlett Sher, Nashville production will play a limited four-week commitment to Campus at Belmont University, at the Fisher Center for Performing Arts. Preview performances begin July 18, with the official opening evening set until August 8. Most of the Belmont performances will actually take place during that preview phase, as the show is scheduled to have its last night on August 17. Tickets are now on sale at www.dollymusical.com.
Parton and Sher announced plans for this seminal production during a morning press event at Belmont, in front of an audience of students as well as the media, with Tennessean author Marcus Dowling moderation.
When asked why she is doing the show now Parton said: “Well, I get no younger, but when I tell my husband I don’t get older either – 21 and a half, do you know? I have survived so many plastic surgeons. But I have actually always wanted to make my life story as a musical. And I just thought I wanted to see it done while I’m still there, to be able to monitor it and make sure it’s done properly in a way I would like to see it, rather than wait until I’m gone and let someone else Decide how they think it should be done. “
“People say,” I thought we knew everything about your life, “said Parton in front of the Belmont audience.” You do, because I have lived long enough. If you’ve seen anything, you know everything about me, you think. But in fact we will do lots of songs that you know in the musical. But I have written a lot of original songs, and I have a lot of fun working with Maria Slaughter, with whom I have written the book, or Playbill or whatever you call it. But that’s my story. Of course, so I give her an ears with things that many have not seen yet. Of course, we are lucky enough to have the wonderful Barthett Sher to direct it and tell my story in the way I think it should be. “
Three different actors will portray Parton in different stages of life in the musical. “I wish I had three of me many times, as I work,” she said.
Of the new material, she promised a strong land flavor – with a few nods against New York theater traditions. “I am known to be a country girl, live a land life and I have touched so many lives with telling so many stories about people and how it goes. So it was only natural that the new music that I have written type has that taste and it is kind of different stories and different parts of my life. (But) I wanted to think, how can I be Broadway? So many things, in fact we have some bigger songs that are really tailored to what I thought how Broadway would be, but still keep that country taste. We use many of the land instruments – violin, steel, mandolin … and I think they will appreciate that I take Nashville to New York with all these country sounds. … and when I had a chance to do something bigger and wider where I thought, ‘Oh, I will get an orchestra – it will be good if I can get strings on this and that,’ it was exciting and Fun for me to write the new things. “
Sher said that the musical would be very ongoing work during the Nashville driving, and that he expects that even the second week with previews will be significantly different from the first.
Parton first announced the project in June last year during a CMA week’s performance in Nashville, including then revealed that she collected the music’s book with Maria S. Schlatter, who previously wrote 2020 Netflix movie “Christmas on the square” with Parton. Casting calls were announced at that time; that call is now closed.
Parton secured details about the casting of the show, which indicates that not all roles had yet been filled, and that it was possible, but not certain, that actors found in the Casting call would be included among the Broadway professional.
Parton also announced a “Dolly U” program in Belmont, described as “a groundbreaking engrossing educational partner” with the university.
The musical is produced by Parton, Danny Nozell, ATG Productions and Gavin Kalin Productions. Jim Carnahan and Carrie Gardner are set as casting directors and 101 Productions, Ltd. is the head of the musical.
