Review: Dolly: A True Original Musical

The world premiere of “Dolly: A True Original Musical is happening at The Fisher Center for Performing Arts” in Nashville until August 31st.

When musicals are designed for Broadway, New York, they often do a “soft opening” phase, which allows the creative team to see how an audience responds to the show in a live setting. It lets directors, designers, and actors fine-tune their work, adjust pacing, staging, technical elements, and overall performance based on audience reaction and their evolving vision.

All Dolly Parton fans knew a musical was in the works for a couple of years now, but when she announced in January that the soft opening for “Dolly: A True Original Musical” would be at Belmont’s beautiful Fisher Center in Nashville, those of us who live in the area were ecstatic. When I posted my press release, we learned that Parton didn’t want to wait until she had passed for a musical to be made about her because she wanted to be involved in the message and all parts of the production, and especially the music itself, since she is a prolific songwriter.

In addition to the tunes “I Will Always Love You,” “Jolene,” “Coat of Many Colors,” and “9 to 5,” that helped to make her famous, Parton wrote more than 25 new songs to tell her story. “Dolly: A True Original Musical” takes us on a journey through the life of this rhinestone in the rough, from her barefoot beginnings in the Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee to performing in platform heels under the bright lights of Hollywood. This new musical will take you inside the literal rags-to-riches story of Parton and give you new insight into her triumphs, trials, and trailblazing. Directed by Tony Award winner Bartlett Sher with a book by Parton and Maria S. Schlatter, “DOLLY: A True Original Musical” is as endearing and inspiring as the global superstar herself.

Besides all the moving parts it takes to make a spectacular musical, it is all for naught if you don’t have the right actors, especially ones who can play someone as iconic as Parton. It was an extensive process to pick the right actors, and even still, I questioned whether anyone could do her justice. But Quinn Titcomb (Little Dolly), Carrie St. Louis (Young Dolly), and especially Katie Rose Clarke (Dolly) hit the ball out of the park. All are seasoned actresses with St. Louis and Clarke having performed on Broadway. Being an East Tennessean, I was skeptical whether they could pull off “our” accent. Many otherwise fine actors simply cannot do a proper southern accent. However, their voices were exquisite and genuine as they curated the musical numbers. The cast pulled it off, and I was overwhelmed by the heart-warming story about our Dolly.

There were many scenes in the musical that I was familiar with, such as her humble upbringing and her appearance on the Porter Wagner Show. Still, without Parton’s oversight, I would have doubted some of its accuracy. Additionally, her marriage to Carl Dean, which has largely been a mystery, is lovingly portrayed. It is Dolly’s touch to the story, script, and music that elevates this production.

While my daughter, who has a theater degree, thought the plot could have used some development, she said that the set design was fantastic, along with the costumes and the lighting design, which was “out of this world.” She was also blown away by the actresses’ spot-on depictions of Parton .

Parton stated, “I’ve lived my whole life to see this show on stage. I’ve written many original songs for the show and included all your favorites in it as well. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll clap, you’ll stomp, it truly is a Grand Ol’ Opera. Pun and fun intended.”

Parton’s career is nothing short of extraordinary. Still topping the charts well into her seventh decade of success, Parton has sold over 100 million albums worldwide, is an inductee in the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and is Billboard’s #1 Country Artist of All Time. With over 3,000 songs written and twenty-five #1 hits, Parton has firmly cemented her place in music history.

I am thrilled to be alive at the same time as Parton. She shows the world what it means to have a heart as big as her dreams. She demonstrates how much work and sacrifice are required to make one’s dreams come true. And in the end, she shows you how to chase what really matters in life.

If you have any means possible to see this musical, you must see it. Tickets are still available until the end of August if you can get to Nashville. Otherwise, you will have to wait until it hits Broadway in New York City.

You can buy tickets for Dolly: An Original Musical here. Get there early because there is so much Parton to see and do in the Fisher Center Lobby.

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Bethany Bowman is a freelance entertainment writer. You can follow her blog, Instagram, and X.
Photo “Dolly Parton” by DOLLY: A True Original Musical. 

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