Dolly Parton is getting closer to having a musical about her life on Broadway. The singer and actress reveals that the dream she has had for years is finally nearing fruition.
“Right now, I’m working on my life story as a musical, and so going on Broadway and opening my show on Broadway, that’s been a biggie [goal] in my mind for many, many years,” Parton tells People, adding that she hopes to have it open by spring of ’25. “That’d be the one that I want to make certain I get done while I’m still kicking, while I’m around to stay involved in it.”
Parton reveals that the musical will cover all of her life and career, from her humble beginnings in east Tennessee to her role as one of the biggest superstars in country music.
“The whole first act is my early days before I went to Nashville,” says the singer. “The second act is about my days in Nashville and beyond. 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.”
The Country Music Hall of Fame member is also taking a hands-on approach in finding the various actors who can portray her at different stages, including a “little Dolly,” an “earlier Dolly” and an “older Dolly.”
“We’re going to be auditioning and trying to find them through different means,” Parton explained. “I think that’ll be fun for people, too. You never know where you’re going to find them. They may never have been on stage before, or maybe in some local theater somewhere, but we’re going to look for them and that’s going to be part of the fun, I think.”
The musical has been in the works for several years, and could have happened earlier, if not for the devastation brought on by the pandemic.
“I was just about to have it ready when COVID hit and Broadway shut down,” Parton said. “Then I thought, ‘Well, maybe I’ll do it as a biopic,’ and wrote up a script for that. But then I was like, ‘Nah, everybody’s doing a biopic! I’m going back to Broadway now that it’s open,'”
After releasing her Rockstar album in November, Parton recently released Rockstar Deluxe, in honor of her 78th birthday. The surprise new project featured five songs that were previously released exclusively to select retailers, plus four songs that fans get to hear for the first time.
Parton made the decision to release Rockstar, after she found out she was going to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
“I can’t tell you how proud I am of the Rockstar album, and I can’t tell you how happy I am that it’s finally here to be released,” Parton said when Rcokstar was released. “I really had a wonderful time working with all these iconic artists on the record and all these iconic musicians. Not to mention all these iconic songs that I think everybody will love hearing again. I just hope you enjoy my version of them.”
Find all of Parton’s music at DollyParton.com.
Read ‘Dolly Parton: 11 Things to Know About the Country Music Queen’ here.
