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Hello, Dolly! It's been two years since Dolly Parton announced that she would be bringing the story of her life to the stage in the form of a Broadway musical. The time and place for that show have now officially been set: Dolly: A True Original Musical will begin previews at Broadway's St. James Theatre on December 7 and open on January 19, the much-beloved country star's 81st birthday.
The first batch of tickets for Dolly goes on sale at 10am tomorrow, July 8, for fans who sign up at the musical's website, dollymusical.com or who hold credit or debit cards from Capital One. (The promo code for the latter is the first six digits of the card.) The general public can start buying tickets at 10am on Friday, July 10.
“My whole life has been a musical," Parton says. "A grand ole opera really and I can’t wait to present it to you on Broadway. I hope you enjoy watching as much as I’ve enjoyed livin’ it.”
Like Summer: The Donna Summer Musical and The Cher Show before it, Dolly divides its central role into three parts, played by actresses of different ages. But unlike those shows—or the many other jukebox musicals that have flooded Broadway in recent years—this one is autobiographical. Parton is co-writing the musical's book with TV writer-producer Maria J. Schlatter, with whom she previously partnered on the 2020 Netflix musical Christmas on the Square. She will also be writing several new songs for the project to go along with some of the biggest hits from her catalog, such as “Jolene,” “9 to 5," “Coat of Many Colors" and “I Will Always Love You."
Overseeing the staging is the ace director Bartlett Sher, best known for such Lincoln Center Theater productions as The Light in the Piazza, South Pacific, The King and I and Oslo; he will be flanked by choreographer Mandy Moore, of La La Land and So You Think You Can Dance. “During our world premiere in Nashville, I was overwhelmed by the deep connection audiences have with Dolly," Sher says. "You mention her name and people light up and share a time that she has inspired them and brought them joy. But despite all of that genuine love, Dolly has never really shared her story before. She’s offered glimpses and peeks, but this musical allows her to reveal the unfiltered story in her own words. As we prepare to come to Broadway, we’re thrilled to show that rhinestones were never her whole story.”
The musical charts the rise of the so-called "Backwoods Barbie" from extreme childhood poverty in East Tennessee to a rhinestone-studded international career that has included movie stardom, a theme park, countless honors—11 Grammys, the Kennedy Center Honors, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame—and sales of more than 100,000 million albums. Casting has not yet been announced.
"Being in her orbit changes how you think about what one person can give to the world," says lead producer Adam Speers of ATG Productions, who worked with Parton on the 2019 London production of her first effort at musical theater, 9 to 5 the Musical. “To be opening the show on Dolly’s 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.”
