Just ten days before Dolly Parton’s passing, the country music icon made a final declaration that would echo through the halls of Broadway forever. In a poignant conversation with producer Adam Speers and director Bartlett Sher, Parton’s voice carried an urgency that left no room for doubt.
“You’ve got to keep going! This is the show that I want to be on Broadway!”
Those words, kept private for weeks, were finally revealed on October 5 at Variety’s Business of Broadway event in New York City. By then, Parton had been gone for over a month, but her vision was already in motion.
More Than Just a Musical
DOLLY: A True Original Musical was never meant to be a simple jukebox production. Parton personally crafted the narrative alongside Emmy-winning writer Maria S. Schlatter, tracing a young girl’s journey from Tennessee’s Smoky Mountains to Nashville’s bright lights and ultimately to global stardom.
The production had already made history at Belmont University’s Fisher Center for the Performing Arts in 2025, becoming the venue’s most successful show ever. But for those involved, the true magic lay in Parton’s presence during rehearsals.
Carrie St. Louis, one of several actresses portraying Parton, remembered how the legend would arrive before everyone else and stay until the last note was sung. During breaks, Parton didn’t retreat to a private room—she mingled with performers, shared stories, and occasionally joined in when someone picked up a guitar.
A Glimpse Behind the Spotlight
The musical ventures into territory Parton rarely explored publicly. Her nearly 60-year marriage to Carl Dean, a relationship she fiercely protected from media scrutiny, takes center stage alongside her transformative partnership with Porter Wagoner.
Parton personally selected five leading performers to portray different stages of her life, including Katie Rose Clarke, Carrie St. Louis, and young Norah Nunes. John Behlmann was chosen to embody Carl Dean, while Gabriel Ebert takes on the role of Porter Wagoner.
New Music, Timeless Legacy
Director Bartlett Sher revealed a side of Parton few ever witnessed. The songwriting legend would compose during her morning prayers, then immediately work with musicians to capture those fleeting melodies. Her creative engine never stopped.
One of the show’s new songs, Mountain Girl, sits alongside beloved classics like Jolene, Coat of Many Colors, I Will Always Love You, and 9 to 5—offering audiences a unique blend of the familiar and the fresh.
A Birthday She’ll Never See, A Dream That Will Live
Parton passed away on August 25, 2026, at age 80. But the show must go on, as she so passionately insisted. Preview performances begin December 7, 2026, at New York City’s St. James Theatre, with the official opening night scheduled for January 19, 2027—what would have been Parton’s 81st birthday.
In a final act of generosity, the production will provide 30,000 free theater tickets to New York City public school students during its first Broadway year, ensuring that Parton’s story reaches yet another generation.
Adam Speers doesn’t claim to know Parton’s final words, but he’ll never forget her last instructions. Dolly Parton wanted her story on Broadway. And on the birthday she’ll never celebrate, that dream becomes reality.