During the Dolly Parton: From Rhinestones to Rock & Roll special, which first aired on November 7, Dolly Parton spoke about a big new project she has in the works, following her rock ‘n’ roll album.
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“I am working on my life story on Broadway,” she said. “I’m hoping to be on Broadway in the spring of ’25. I tried to do that years ago, and just before COVID. You know, I had it almost ready to go. And then COVID hit and then Broadway kind of shut down.”
The musical will cover every possible aspect of Parton’s life, from her humble upbringing in Tennessee to her incredible music career, to her acting, entrepreneurial work, and philanthropy. Parton is working with producer Maria Schlatter on this project, who produced Parton’s holiday special in 2020, Christmas on the Square. According to Parton, she has written or chosen all of the music for the show herself and also had a hand in writing the script.
“So all my spare time, I’m spending on that,” Parton told USA Today in October. “That’s been a dream of mine for years and years—at least 20 years I’ve been trying to put that together.”
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Parton also shared on the special that it has been interesting trying to find a way to tell her story in a way that will capture audiences and give them something they’ve never seen before. “We found a clever way to do it, where it just touches on my past and the present, but the Porter Wagoner days and my childhood days, and my early days,” she said, “And even trying to find the ways to get all the other stuff through characters and songs.”
The musical is still in the works, but as Parton said, hopefully, it will open on Broadway in the spring of 2025. Broadway star Kerry Butler, who has been in productions of Beetlejuice, Mean Girls, Xanadu, and Little Shop of Horrors, posted a photo on Instagram of herself and Parton in October. She shared she had been in a private reading of the script, portraying Parton.
“At first I doubted that I could do it, she is so specific,” Butler wrote in her caption at the time. “But I followed my own advice and said yes, and did a deep dive into all things Dolly! Her music is obviously incredible, but beyond that she is such an amazing person. The things she has accomplished on and off stage- many things you don’t even hear about! What a role model!!!”
So far, the musical has no official title, cast, or release date. But, Parton has had a lot of creative control over this project, so it will be worth the wait to see her life played out musically. In 2015, the TV movie Coat of Many Colors premiered, based on Parton’s childhood. Could the Broadway musical be similar to the movie?
“The whole first act [of the musical] is my early days before I went to Nashville. The second act is about my days in Nashville and beyond,” Parton said to Variety in 2016, proving that this musical has truly been in the works for a long time. “So the first part of the musical will be a lot like Coat of Many Colors with music and songs and will involve more details. I thought it would be a good boost and kickoff for [the musical] and a good promotional tool.”
Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
