Dolly Parton planning for musical based on her life to land on Broadway in 2026
Dolly Parton is bringing her life’s story to Broadway in an autobiographical musical titled Hello, I’m Dolly.
The 78-year-old country-pop icon shared the news on Thursday morning at CMA Fest in Nashville.
Parton is co-writing the story with Maria S Schlatte, the Emmy-winning producer of Netflix’s Christmas on the Square, which featured both Parton and her music.
The stage adaptation’s score will include a mixture of newly written songs and “all your favorites,” Parton said in a statement.
“You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll clap, you’ll stomp, it truly is a Grand Ol’ Opera. Pun and fun intended,” she added.
Parton is hoping for Hello, I’m Dolly to land on Broadway in 2026.
The musical shares the same name with Parton’s 1967 debut album, which included the songs “Dumb Blonde” and “Something Fishy.”
This won’t be the “Jolene” singer’s first foray into Broadway. She previously wrote the score for the stage adaptation of her 1980 screwball comedy 9 to 5, which she starred in alongside Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda.
Parton went on to earn a Tony nomination for her work on the musical, which had a six-month run in 2009.
A decade later, 9 to 5 was revamped for London’s West End, where it opened in 2019 before ending a year later.
Hello, I’m Dolly will be produced by Parton, her management company, CTK Enterprises’ Danny Nozell, and ATG Productions’ Adam Speers.
ATG is the producer of the current Broadway hit Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club, led by Oscar-winning actor Eddie Redmayne.
“I first had the pleasure of working with Dolly Parton in 2019 when she trusted us to develop a new version of her musical 9 to 5 for London’s West End,” Speers said in a statement.
“I had always heard she wanted to do a musical based on her life, so when she asked if I would be interested in producing it, I was bowled over. As the world knows, Dolly is a magical blend of talent, hard work, intelligence, charm, wit and a gigantically big heart. I’m thrilled we’re going to bring her inspiring story to Broadway.”
Parton has been discussing her desire to adapt her life story into a musical of some kind for a while now.
In 2022, she revealed she was in talks about possibly adapting her life story into a movie musical. She has not given any concrete updates on the potential biopic since.
