Dolly Parton spent part of her last decade working on a stage musical telling the story of her life, and she hoped to be at its Broadway opening, on her 81st birthday in January. Now, the show will have to go on without her.
The production, “Dolly: A True Original Musical,” is scheduled to begin previews Dec. 7 and to open Jan. 19 at the St. James Theater. Parton, one of the show’s lead producers, died Tuesday in Nashville; the surviving producers said in a brief statement that the production would stay on schedule, “as was Dolly’s wish.”
The show had been a passion project for Parton, who had been talking about it since at least 2016. The timeline faced delays and the project (including its title) evolved, but it had a strong-selling production in Nashville last summer. In July, Parton announced dates for the Broadway run.
In a video message, Parton called the musical “a dream come true.”
“Just like the title says, I mean ‘true’ in every sense of the word,” she said. “Now this isn’t about a story about sparkle and shine on the outside — it’s about where I really come from, what I’ve lived, what I’ve lost, what I’ve loved and how I found my way.”
Parton was integral to the show’s plans. The score is a mix of her hit songs and new numbers she wrote for the production; she co-wrote the book with Maria S. Schlatter, and she had been harnessing her celebrity to promote the show. Just last month she posted a video to social media to announce tickets were on sale.
The musical is being directed by Bartlett Sher, a Broadway mainstay who has been nominated nine times for the best direction Tony Award, and who won that honor in 2008 for a revival of “South Pacific.”
Parton’s death is not the only jolt to the producing team, which also includes Adam Speers for ATG Productions, a British entertainment company that Ari Emanuel, the Hollywood mogul, has reached an agreement to acquire through his latest venture, Mari. The other lead producers are Danny Nozell, Parton’s manager; and Gavin Kalin, a frequent producer of Broadway and West End shows.
The show has yet to announce the cast for the Broadway run.
Parton was not new to Broadway. In 2009 she was nominated for a Tony Award for best score after writing the music and lyrics for a stage adaptation of the movie “9 to 5.” She had starred in the 1980 film, writing and performing the title song.
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