Playing the wonderful and iconic Dolly Parton in a musical seems to me to be the juicy role of a lifetime. She is brave, kind, shrewd, beautiful, resourceful, and mega-talented. Her life story is remarkable. She emerged from a difficult hardscrabble upbringing and became a multi-millionaire, a country music legend, and a successful businessperson. Anyone would be thrilled to don replicas of Parton's shiny stilettos for a production of this nature.
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Actually, three actresses have been selected to be Parton "in various stages of her life" in Dolly: An Original Musical, per Taste Of Country. They are Quinn Titcomb, Katie Rose Clarke, and Carrie St. Louis. Three lucky ladies! Two of them are slated to launch the production in Music City over the summer. It is scheduled to run from July 18 to August 31. The venue is the Fisher Center for the Performing Arts in Nashville.
The show will head to Broadway sometime next year. It is not known at this time if the three actresses who are playing Parton in Nashville will be in the production in New York as well.
There Was A Statement About 'Dolly: An Original Musical' On Social Media
A caption on Instagram was ecstatic. "BIG NEWS! We're excited to reveal three incredible actresses who will bring Dolly Parton to life at different stages in the world premiere of Dolly: An Original Musical in Nashville!" And also, "Each one brings heart, talent and that unmistakable Dolly sparkle."
The statement went on to say more. "A huge thank you to the thousands who participated in the national :Search for Dolly:! From that amazing pool, 15 finalists came to NYC-and now, we're thrilled to share that TWO of them will be joining our Nashville cast! Stay tuned for more casting updates coming this June."
Some Fans Were Irked At The Way The Casting Was Apparently Handled
One posted this annoyed message. "What was the point of having an open call if you guys were just going to cast Broadway actresses??"
Another was just as irate. "[U]sing an 'open call' to essentially manipulate hopeful, hardworking young actors to market your show for you and then ignoring all of them for a cast that was obviously pre-decided is twisted and a major reason why so many up and coming actors are leaving the industry."
Yet a third was more calm. "y'all need to chill, this is the NASHVILLE casting, they haven't announced the BROADWAY casting yet."
