Dolly Parton passed away at age 80 on August 26. The singer’s death has cast a wave of sadness throughout social media. While she was alive, she made many commitments, one of which will have to go on as planned.
The singer might not get to see the Broadway musical show inspired by her amazing life story, but the show will still arrive in New York like she always wanted.
It is set to begin previews on December 7 at Broadway’s St. James Theatre and will officially open on January 19, 2027. This day would have been Dolly Parton’s 81st birthday.
5Parton’s sudden demise may have raised questions about the future of one of her biggest projects that is still in the development phase. However, the producers of the show have now made their plans clear.
The production will begin its Broadway previews on December 7, according to a statement from Variety. They also revealed that the official opening of the show remains January 19, 2027.
“As was Dolly’s wish, the Broadway production of ‘Dolly: A True Original Musical’ will begin previews December 7 at the St. James Theatre in New York City with opening set for January 19, 2027,” the statement read in part.
This date was already special to the singer, as it would have been her 81st birthday; it will now become an even more emotional celebration of the singer’s life and career.
The Broadway production titled “Dolly: An Original Musical” initially ran in 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee. Instead of abandoning her prized project, the team intends to carry out her plans dutifully.
This way, fans will have another opportunity to experience Parton’s story through her music.
The Country Music Icon Helped Tell Her Own Life Story For The Production
5Dolly: A True Original Musical” isn’t simply an authorized jukebox musical assembled around Parton’s biggest hits. Parton was directly involved in creating parts of the story. She co-wrote the show’s book with Maria S. Schlatter and provided its music.
The musical traces Parton’s journey from her childhood in Tennessee’s Smoky Mountains to becoming one of the most recognizable entertainers in the world.
“My whole life has been a musical,” she said in a message featured on the production’s official website.
She jokingly described it as a “grand ole opera” and expressed her excitement about finally bringing her story to Broadway.
The official production describes the musical as telling Parton’s story “in her own words” and through the songs that accompanied different stages of her life.
The Show Will Include Dolly Parton’s Biggest Hits And Brand-New Music
5Fans who will grace the show will have the opportunity to hear amazing hit songs from Parton’s collection over the years. The musical will feature major hits including “Jolene,” “Coat of Many Colors,” “9 to 5,” and “I Will Always Love You.”
While these hit songs will resonate with her fans worldwide, the musician was not content with building the show around her existing songs. Rather, she wrote several new songs specifically for the show.
Tony Award-winning director Bartlett Sher is directing the Broadway production, while much of the creative team behind its Nashville run is continuing with the project.
The show will also make use of multiple performers to portray Parton during different periods of her life, allowing the musical to move from her childhood through the various stages of her career.
The Singer Had Been Personally Building The Show For Years
5Parton’s Broadway ambitions did not suddenly appear near the end of her life. She apparently spent years developing a stage project about her story, and often spoke about eventually bringing it to Broadway.
The Nashville production run in 2025 represented an important step in that process, giving Parton and the creative team an opportunity to see how the story would work in front of a live audience.
After that run, the project was renamed “Dolly: A True Original Musical.”
Her involvement with the show makes the decision to continue after her death considerably different from reviving an abandoned celebrity project years later. The singer spent much of her career building businesses and charitable projects designed to continue well beyond her own performing years.
Her Broadway musical now becomes another important piece of that legacy.
The Show’s Opening Night Will Now Become A Celebration Of Dolly Parton’s Life
5The show’s opening date was specifically put on Parton’s 81st birthday to celebrate her.
Sadly, her death has changed what that special night will be about.
Rather than watching Parton celebrate another birthday alongside the Broadway arrival of her life story, audiences will now gather on that day to celebrate the career she has left behind.
While she may not be sitting in the audience that day, when the curtain rises at the St. James Theatre on January 19, the production will be following the path Parton already laid out.
And, according to its producers, that is precisely what Dolly wanted.