Photo: Getty Images
Dolly Parton introduced the three actresses portraying the legendary country star in her upcoming, autobiographical Broadway musical. The three performers will take the stage during the show’s world premiere this summer in Nashville, Tennessee. DOLLY: An Original Musical heads to New York City in 2026.
Katie Rose Clarke, Carrie St. Louis and Quinn Titcomb will “bring Dolly Parton to life at different stages in the world premiere of DOLLY: An Original Musical in Nashville! Each one brings heart, talent, and that unmistakable Dolly sparkle,” per the announcement posted on Instagram on Monday (May 5). “A huge thank you to the thousands who participated in the national ‘Search for Dolly’! From that amazing pool, 15 finalists came to NYC—and now, we’re thrilled to share that TWO of them will be joining our Nashville cast! 🦋 Stay tuned for more casting updates coming this June.”
Parton announced earlier this year that the world premiere of DOLLY: An Original Musical will take place at The Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee. Parton teamed up with Maria S. Schlatter to write the music and lyrics for the Bartlett Sher-directed production. The musical will include original music in addition to renditions of some of Parton’s most iconic hits spanning her career, including “I Will Always Love You,” “Jolene,” “Coat of Many Colors,” “9 to 5” and more.
“I actually have always wanted to do my life story as a musical, and I just thought that I wanted to see it done while I’m still around to be able to oversee it and make sure that it’s done properly, in a way that I would want to see it, rather than to wait ’til I’m gone and let somebody else decide how they thing it should be done. So, I thought that this was something I needed to do, and certainly wanted to do,” Parton said when she first announced DOLLY: An Original Musical would make its world debut in Music City (plus the “Dolly U” initiative at Belmont University).
The first performance of DOLLY: An Original Musical will take place in July. Parton announced on Monday morning that “we want to make sure everybody that wants to see this show has a chance to, so we’re adding 16 more shows in Nashville,” running over the course of an additional two weeks. DOLLY: An Original Musical will run in Nashville from July 18 through August 31, 2025.