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At 78, successful, country music goddess, and one of the biggest names in entertainment, Dolly Parton doesn’t feel accomplished. In a new interview, the legend reflected on her success, pending goals, and dream of creating a Dolly Parton-inspired musical. The icon first hinted at the project in a 2016 interview where she discussed various ventures she had in the works including a Broadway musical that delves into her childhood.
Dolly Parton Launches Dream of Telling Her Life’s Story on Broadway
In her recent interview with People magazine, the icon shed more light on this career goal, voicing her dream of bringing her life story to Broadway. The story follows her journey from growing up in the suburbs to attaining country music stardom. To bring her story to life, Dolly has worked round the clock actively contributing to the lyrical details and up to 50% of the scripting. She divulged,
“Right now, I’m working on my life story as a musical, and so going on Broadway and opening my show on Broadway, that’s been a biggie [goal] in my mind for many, many years.”
Dolly Parton admitted that of her many projects yet accomplished, the Broadway musical about her life remains the one dream she wanted to achieve while she was still kicking and “around to stay involved in.”
So far, she’s put many steps to bring those goals to reality. Aside from championing the script creation and songwriting, the Coat of Many Colors star has set off the casting call. The next stop for Dolly Parton is to find the right actress to portray her life in the dream musical. She’s looking into organizing a “Finding Dolly” contest to find the right person for the job before finally bringing the project alive in New York City.
The Hunt for the Perfect Heroine
To tell her story effectively, the 78-year-old would need three different actresses. These heroines would represent her at various points in her life during the stage performance. Dolly Parton hopes to actively stay involved, spearheading the rigorous selection process in fulfillment of her dream. Her team would implore various means, including auditions and scouting even the unconventional locations. She quipped,
“You never know where you’re going to find them. They may never have been on stage before, or maybe in some local theater somewhere, but we’re going to look for them and that’s going to be part of the fun, I think.”
The country music legend hopes the musical, still untitled, will hit the Broadway stage by the end of 2025. With a career spanning over five decades and impressive milestones, a project on Dolly’s life story surely has prospects for the screens and Broadway.