Dolly Parton Opens Up About Her New Musical: ‘Dreams Can Come True’ (EXCLUSIVE)

The colorful life and iconic career of Dolly Parton come to life in Dolly: A True Original Musical. Currently at the Fisher Center for the Performing Arts in Nashville through Aug. 31st, the show is headed to Broadway in 2026.

The musical spotlights Dolly’s rags-to-riches story from her Appalachian childhood to her early days in Nashville and onto her legendary musical career. Looking radiant in a sparkly pink dress, Dolly was on hand for the musical’s premiere, which was attended by Mötley Crüe’s Nikki Sixx and his wife Courtney, for King & Country’s Joel and Luke Smallbone, Zac Brown, Kendra Scott, Moriah Smallbone, Natalie Grant, Annie Bosko, Bill Anderson, Gracee Shriver, Michael W. Smith, Danica McKellar and other luminaries. And luckily, Woman’s World was also in attendance for this star-studded evening. Keep reading to find out more about the new Dolly Parton musical, what fellow stars thought of it—and what Dolly herself has to say about this special moment in her long career. 

What is ‘Dolly: A True Musical’ about?

Dolly: A True Original Musical features a combination of new songs and enduring hits all written by Dolly. The show presents three different actresses portraying Parton at different stages of her life—Quinn Titcomb as little Dolly, Carrie St. Louis as teen/early Nashville Dolly and Katie Rose Clark as mature Dolly. John Behlmann stars as Dolly’s late husband, Carl Dean, while John Zdrojeski is spot on as Porter Wagoner, the veteran country star who helped propel Dolly’s career, Jacob Fishel plays her longtime manager, Sandy Gallin, And Beth Malone is her best friend, Judy Ogle. 

The musical covers the monumental arc of Dolly’s career from her childhood in the Tennessee mountains to her musical start in Nashville, meeting Porter Wagoner and beyond. Though Dolly’s star rose on the iconic Porter Wagoner Show, their trials and tribulations eventually led to a professional split. This very moment inspired one of Dolly’s most famous songs—‘I Will Always Love You’—and catapulted her to superstardom. 

Dolly reveals what she hopes women take away from the play

 

When asked what she hoped people would take away from seeing the play, Dolly exclusively told Woman’s World, “That we’re good. We’re strong. We’re stout and we can do things—and that dreams can come true. So if you work hard enough and believe in what you are doing, I think it will all happen.”

The impact of Dolly Parton—according to the play’s stars

Portraying Dolly might seem like a daunting task, but both Clark and St. Louis have embraced the role. “Dolly just empowers you and she’s so strong and so brilliant,” Clark, who plays latter day Dolly, told Woman’s World. “The greatest blessing for me is to have been able to sit at her feet and watch her as an artist to create and write. I hope women feel empowered as they watch the show.”

St. Louis, who portrays teen Dolly, still seems awed that she was cast as Dolly. “It’s the honor of a lifetime,” she shared with Woman’s World.  “There are a lot of similarities between Dolly and I. We’re both bubbly and very energetic and I handle a lot of things with humor, which she also does. And I also just love to sing. Singing has always been my number one passion in life, so to be able to sing at this level and sing her music, I was, like, ‘How do I get in there?’”

It might seem a little nerve-wracking to bring Dolly’s life to the stage, but both actresses say Dolly’s support and encouragement have been essential. “The main thing is she’s just been so supportive and she continues to tell us, ‘I like the way you do that, just basically trust yourself,’” St. Louis continued.  “It’s really nice, because it’s not her [saying] ‘I want it to be exactly how I did it.’ She wants us to bring ourselves to the role so that it feels more truthful.”

Clark agrees. “She really wanted Carrie and I to bring ourselves to her story and our own hearts, and that’s been helpful to be really truthful inside of the material, while still honoring her life and her story.”

Cast members share their favorite moments 

In bringing the show to life, Clark says there have been so many memorable moments that she’ll treasure. “There was a day in rehearsal where Dolly and I worked together around the piano, which was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and incredible,” she shared.  “She sang ‘I Will Always Love You,’ and the whole room was just in tears. And then, of course, I had to sing it next. She started singing with me and harmonizing and there’s just really nothing else that could compare to that moment.”

 

St. Louis feels people will be inspired by Dolly’s story. “She’s just been a trailblazer for so long.  That’s what is really fun about my section of the show, being the middle Dolly during her rise. She’s just starting out and coming to Nashville,” said the actress/singer. “She’s really forged a path and always has known that she was destined for this and she was going to make it work no matter what. She was going to die trying and I just think that’s so special. She’s been doing so much for women for so long at a time when women were not at a place where they could speak up as much—and she’s always had a very clear sense of self.”

Celebrity attendees weigh in on Porter and Dolly’s relationship

One of the parts of the show that really shows Dolly’s strength and determination is when she severed her working relationship with Porter Wagoner when he hired her for his television show. “I think Porter would absolutely say he benefited from Dolly, but I also think Dolly would be the first to tell you that she benefited from Porter and you have to keep that in your mind the whole time. You never lose track of the love that these people had for each other,” says John Zdrojeski, who prepared to play Porter by watching a lot of his old TV shows.

Grand Ole Opry veteran Bill Anderson, who knew both Porter and Dolly, walked the pink carpet, too. When asked what he thought Dolly was teaching the next generation of Opry stars, he laughed and responded, “How to live without sleep! I’ve never known anybody that goes 24 hours a day and never winds down and is so creative and is just a wonderful person. We can all learn a lot of lessons from Dolly Parton just by keeping our eyes open and our ears open and watching and listening to what she says and does.”

Musicians open up about what Dolly means to them

Singer-songwriter Gracee Shriver—who was in the top 16 on Season 17 of NBC’s The Voice— concurs. “There are so many take-aways from Dolly,” Shriver smiles. “She always has a light. She’s so positive and encouraging and I think that’s something special to come by in an artist.”

“Sustainability is sexy. That’s what Dolly has taught me,” singer-songwriter and actress Moriah Smallbone said of what she’s learned by watching Dolly’s illustrious career. “As an artist, it’s very tempting to want to be manic, to be up and down. It seems the most artsy thing to do, but she drinks water. She goes to sleep on time. She does her vocal exercises. She’s had a beautiful marriage. All these practices she’s put into place have contributed to her being one of the longest standing, most influential artists of our time and that makes me want to practice artist sustainability.”

Country music singer and songwriter Annie Bosko admires Dolly’s drive and business savvy. “As a woman, I can’t think of a greater example that embodies that you can be all the things,” Bosko told WW.  “You can be the songwriter, you can be the singer, you can be the business woman, you can be the friend, you can be the philanthropist and you can crack jokes.  She’s just done a great job really at inspiring women that you can be all the things because she is all the things.”

Award-winning Christian singer and songwriter Natalie Grant, who recorded a 2023 duet with Dolly, “Step by Step,” also attended the premiere and walked the red carpet with her three daughters—Sadie, Bella and Grace. “Dolly is our national treasure. We love her. She’s our hero,” Natalie reflected to WW. “I feel like I’ve had the opportunity to live the Dolly dream by being able to perform with her and sing with her. It’s just been a dream come true.”

Joel and Luke Smallbone, of the hitmaking duo for King & Country, have also recorded with Dolly, with “God Only Knows” becoming a chart-topping collaboration for the three artists. “I was a little nervous,” Joel says of working with Dolly. “There’s this old adage about not meeting your heroes because they’ll let you down, but I can stand on this pink carpet and say she’s just as advertised. She’s sparkly. She’s smart. She’s shrewd. She’s sharp. For a woman to be in this industry for 50 years and still maintain that grounding, to go through all the loss in this last year of losing Carl and still be here standing, it’s marvelous. We’re proud to be here and honor her tonight.”

For more information on Dolly: A True Original Musical, click here.