DOLLY: A True Original Musical

What DOLLY actually is

It is an autobiography staged as a musical, and the unusual part is the authorship: the subject is also the book writer and the songwriter. Parton's own line for it is that her whole life has been a musical, a grand ole opera; the production follows her from the Smoky Mountains outward.

The songs are the ones people already know — “I Will Always Love You”, “Jolene”, “Coat of Many Colors”, “9 to 5” — with new music written by Parton for the show. Bartlett Sher, a Tony winner, directs; the book is by Parton and Maria S. Schlatter.

The opening date is 19 January 2027 and it is her birthday. A production that schedules its press night around the subject's birthday rather than around the critics' diaries has said something about what the evening is for.