Dolly Parton’s Heartfelt Final Broadway Instructions Leave Producers Inspired

Quick Smiles:

• Dolly Parton’s final Broadway project will debut on what would have been her 81st birthday.
• She personally urged producers to carry the show forward with the same love she poured into it.
• Three talented actresses will bring her story to life on the Great White Way.

Just days before her passing, the beloved country-music icon was still focused on the joy she hoped to share with audiences through her life story. Producers Adam Speers and Bartlett Sher spoke with her about the upcoming musical and received the very clear message that the show must go on.

“She was very open with us both: ‘You’ve got to keep going! This is the show that I want to be on Broadway!’” Adam told Variety.

Katie Rose Clarke, Carrie St. Louis, and Norah Nunes will each portray Dolly at different stages of her life. They spent meaningful time with the icon and were touched by her personal warmth.

“On every break, you’d think she might go out and, I don’t know, attend to the 100 million other things that she was doing, but no: She would walk around the room and speak to every actor that was there, one-on-one,” Carrie shared.

Carrie added that the production will reveal the quieter, more intimate side of Dolly that the public rarely saw. “What I think is really beautiful about our show is that you’re able to see the more private moments that the public maybe doesn’t know about,” she said. “Because as bigger than life as she was, she was also pretty private, and she’s sharing a lot of these special, intimate details of her life—like her relationship with her husband, Carl, that were never seen in public.”

“DOLLY: A True Original Musical” is set to open at the St. James Theatre on January 19, 2027, honoring her legacy and the values of family, faith, and perseverance that she championed throughout her life.

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