Dolly Parton Musical Sets Broadway Opening for Her 81st Birthday

Dolly Parton’s life is officially getting the Broadway treatment.

Dolly: A True Original Musical will begin previews at the St. James Theatre on Dec. 7, with an official opening set for Jan. 19, 2027, Parton’s 81st birthday. Tickets go on sale July 8.

The musical, which had its world premiere last summer in Parton’s hometown of Nashville, will feature new music as well as some of her most famous songs, including “I Will Always Love You,” “Jolene,” “Coat of Many Colors” and “9 to 5.”

“My whole life has been a musical,” Parton said in a statement. “A grand ole opera really and I can’t wait to present it to you on Broadway. I hope you enjoy watching as much as I’ve enjoyed livin’ it.”

Parton wrote the musical’s book with two-time Emmy Award winner Maria S. Schlatter, who previously worked with her on the Netflix film Christmas on the Square.

Bartlett Sher, whose credits include South Pacific, will direct. He said the Nashville premiere showed him how deeply audiences connect with Parton.

“You mention her name and people light up and share a time that she has inspired them and brought them joy,” Sher said. “But despite all of that genuine love, Dolly has never really shared her story before.”

Broadway journalist Leigh Scheps said Dolly arrives in a Broadway landscape where celebrity biomusicals have become a familiar and sometimes lucrative model.

“The formula for biomusicals seems to be replicated from show to show, featuring 3 different actresses playing the same starring role at various ages,” Scheps said, pointing to The Cher Show and Summer: The Donna Summer Musical.

Casting for the Broadway production has not yet been announced, but Scheps said the production would do well to keep Katie Rose Clark, who performed in Nashville.

“If the Dolly Parton musical keeps the cast from its out-of-town tryout in Nashville, Katie Rose Clark (most recently in the smash hit, Merrily We Roll Along) is sure to become a major star,” she said.

Scheps noted that biomusicals have helped turn performers into major names, including Stephanie J. Block, who won a Tony Award for playing Cher, and Myles Frost, who won for playing Michael Jackson.

“While some biomusicals closed quickly, others become high-grossing musicals on Broadway,” she noted.

She pointed to commercial successes such as MJ The Musical, which is still running with full audiences four years after it opened; Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, which became the longest-running show at the Stephen Sondheim Theater with 2,418 performances; and the currently-running Just in Time, the Bobby Darin biomusical.

“People around the world idolize Dolly Parton,” Scheps said. “Fans have been flocking to Dollywood for 40 years.”