Dolly Parton is giving fans in Nashville a first look at her Broadway musical. The 79-year-old reveals that Dolly: An Original Musical will premiere at Belmont University's Fisher Center. A four-week limited engagement will begin on July 18 with preview performances. Opening night will take place on August 8, with the final performance on August 17.
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"Nashville has certainly been home to me for over 60 years," Parton says of the decision. "It's been my musical home. Even before that, I used to come back and forth as a kid when I was singing in the backseat. That was my bedroom. And my uncle had the front bedroom of our car that we used to come back and forth to Nashville that we used since I was a kid trying to get on the Grand Ole Opry, and trying to get started in the music business. So, it's supposed to premiere here and then go to Broadway in 2026."
Parton was born in East Tennessee but has lived her adult life in Music City. For that reason, she couldn't think of a better place for fans to first see her Broadway home than Nashville.
"It just seemed natural and right for me to premiere the story of my life in Tennessee, 'cause I'm Tennessee-born and Tennessee-raised," she says. "We will be doing lots of songs that you know in the musical. But I've written a whole lot of original songs, and I'm having a whole lot of fun."
Dolly: An Original Musical
Parton has yet to decide who will play her at various stages throughout her life. But she is eager to see her life finally in a Broadway musical, after dreaming about it for so many years.
"Opening my show on Broadway, that's been a biggie [goal] in my mind for many, many years," Parton tells People. "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."
No stone will be left unturned in Dolly: An Original Musical. The storyline goes back to the very early days of Parton's life when she was dreaming about being in country music.
"The whole first act is my early days before I went to Nashville," she reveals. "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."
