The Queen of Country has already conquered the music industry and the movies, and now Dolly Parton is getting ready to bring her Smoky Mountain Songbird magic to Broadway.
Dolly: A True Original Musical will start previews at the historic St. James Theatre on Monday, December 7, with the official opening on Parton's birthday, January 19, 2027. Parton will be turning 81 years young that Tuesday in the new year.
Tickets go on sale starting tomorrow, Wednesday, July 8, beginning with a 10 a.m. pre-sale for registered fans and eligible Capital One cardholders. Remaining tickets will be sold to the general public at 10 a.m. on Friday, July 10.
Last we heard from Parton was a few weeks ago on Instagram when she addressed rumors she was ill. In October, her sister apologized for causing fans to worry, as Out reported.
"I have some good news and a little bad news," Parton said in the video posted in May, announcing the cancellation of her Las Vegas residency. "The good news is Iām responding really well to meds and treatments, and Iām improving every day. Now, the bad news is itās going to take me a little while before Iām up to stage-performance level, because some of the meds and treatments make me a little āswimmy-headed,ā as my grandma used to say." She likened herself to classic car, declaring "that, once restored, can be better than ever."
Ironically, this new musical will be staged where the classic musical Hello, Dolly first held court. It was the St. James Theatre's longest-running show from 1964 to 1970. Other legendary shows there include hits like The Producers, Oklahoma and Disney's Frozen.
With a tag line that boasts, "The rhinestones were never the whole story," Dolly: A True Original Musical has a book co-written by Parton and two-time Emmy Award winner Maria S. Schlatter. Parton previously partnered with Schlatter on 2020's Emmy-winning Netflix film, Christmas on the Square.
The music team for the Broadway production includes two-time Tony Award winner and two-time Grammy winner Stephen Oremus as music supervisor and Charity Wicks as music director. Tony nominees John Clancy and Kent Wells are also on the music team: Clancy is in charge of orchestrations and Wells will serve as a musical consultant. Richard Dennison and Gregg Perry share responsibility for both vocal and music arrangements. Both Perry are longtime collaborators with Parton.
The creative team includes Emmy Award winner Mandy Moore as choreographer, Tony Award winner Derek McLane in charge of scenic design, Jennifer Moeller is the costume desiger, Donald Holder will bring his Tony Award-winning talent for lighting design to the musical, fellow Tony winner Peter Hylenski has been tapped for sound design, Nathan Amzi and Joe Ransom share responsibility for video design, award winner Robert Pickens has the important role of hair design and Studio Pickens will be the show's makeup designer.
The musical had its world premiere earlier this summer in Nashville at the Fisher Center and starred Katie Rose Clarke, Carrie St. Louis, and Quinn Titcomb, each playing the global icon at different stages of her life. Casting for the Broadway production will be announced in the coming weeks, according to Deadline.
"Everything we learned during our world premiere in Nashville, weāre shaping the show and deepening the storytelling so that the Broadway production fully captures the spirit of this amazing woman," said Adam Speers of ATG Productions. "To be opening the show on Dollyās 81st birthday is not only a celebration of a milestone, but of a life shaped by generosity, courage, and purpose that, in this moment, feels not only uplifting and inspiring, but essential."
Parton was the first country artist honored as Grammy MusiCares Person of the Year. She holds the record with 49 career Top 10 country albums and 120 career-charted singles over more than 50 years.
RuPaul called Parton the ultimate drag queen, as Out has reported, but she has turned down invitations to appear on Drag Race more than a dozen times. She is very much involved with her LGBTQ+ fans and received a GLAAD Award in 2020 for Outstanding Individual Episode in a series without a regular LGBTQ+ character for the "Two Doors Down" episode of Dolly Parton's Heartstrings anthology series on Netflix.
