Dolly Parton brings her incredible life story to the stage in the brand-new musical, Dolly: A True Original Musical, premiering at the Fisher Center for the Performing Arts on the campus of Belmont University. The production starts preview performances on Friday, July 18 and has a Friday, Aug. 8 opening night with a run through Sunday, Aug. 31.
The ‘9 to 5’ and ‘Jolene’ singer’s biographical musical will be soundtracked entirely by Dolly Parton’s own songs, and will have a script penned by Dolly in collaboration with two-time Emmy-winning writer Maria S. Schlatter.
As the show’s synopsis reads, Dolly: A True Original Musical will take audiences “on a journey through the life of this rhinestone in the rough, from her barefoot beginnings in the Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee to performing in platform heels under the bright lights of Hollywood.”
Asked about why she decided to make the musical now, Dolly told fans during a press event in January: “Well, I ain’t getting no younger, but as I tell my husband, I ain’t getting no older either – 21 and a half, you know? I’ve outlived so many plastic surgeons!
“But I actually have always wanted to do my life story as a musical,” she reflected. “And I just thought that I wanted to see it done while I’m still around, to be able to oversee it and make sure that it’s done properly in a way that I would want to see it.”
Katie Rose Clarke, Carrie St. Louis and Quinn Titcomb will each play the global superstar at different stages of her life. The trio’s casting had a mixed reaction, as fans celebrated the news but expressed sadness that none of the three actors had come from the musical’s national casting search, ‘The Search for Dolly’.
Dolly: A True Original Musical will debut on one of Broadway’s ‘Main Stem’ stages in 2026.
Tickets for the limited six-week engagement are on sale now starting at $160 at dollymusical.com or by calling the Fisher Center Box Office at 615-460-2255.
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