Dolly Parton Wants to Find Actors to Play 'Dolly' in Upcoming Broadway Musical 'Through Different Means'

According to an interview with People Magazine, Dolly Parton says she wants to find actors to play herself in the musical based on her life through "different means."

As previously reported, Parton is working on a musical about her life. The creative team held a workshop in 2023 starring Kerry Butler as the legendary singer and songwriter.

Parton has now revealed to People that the musical will feature a “little Dolly,” an “earlier years Dolly” and “an older Dolly,” and will be auditioning actors outside of New York.

“We're going to be auditioning and trying to find them through different means,” Parton shares. “I think that'll be fun for people, too. You never know where you're going to find them. They may never have been on stage before, or maybe in some local theater somewhere, but we're going to look for them and that's going to be part of the fun, I think.”

Parton further elaborates on the structure of the musical: “The whole first act is my early days before I went to Nashville. The second act is about my days in Nashville and beyond. So the first part of the musical will be a lot like Coat of Many Colors with music and songs and will involve more details.”

The music of Dolly Parton has previously been seen on Broadway in 9 to 5 the Musical in 2009, which featured Megan Hilty in the role of Doralee Rhodes, played by Parton in the film.

While there are no official plans, Parton anticipates that the musical will arrive on Broadway in Spring 2025.

About Dolly Parton

An internationally renowned superstar, the iconic and irrepressible Dolly Parton has contributed countless treasures to the world of entertainment. Achieving 25 RIAA certified gold, platinum and multi-platinum awards, Dolly has had 25 songs reach No. 1 on the Billboard Country charts, a record for a female artist. Dolly has garnered 7 Grammy Awards, 10 Country Music Association Awards, 5 Academy of Country Music Awards, 3 AMERICAN MUSIC AWARDS and is one of only five female artists to win the Country Music Association's Entertainer of the Year Award.

Making her film debut in the 1980 hit comedy "9 to 5," Dolly earned rave reviews for her performance and an Oscar nomination for writing the title tune, along with her second and third Grammy Awards. Roles in "Steel Magnolias," "Best Little Whorehouse in Texas," "Rhinestone," and "Straight Talk" followed. Dolly saw a cherished dream become a reality in 1986 with the opening of her own theme park, Dollywood, in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.

She has her own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and in 2004, the U.S. Library of Congress presented her with their Living Legend Award for her contribution to the cultural heritage of the United States. In December 2015, more than 13 million tuned into "Dolly Parton's Coat of Many Colors" and was the most-watched film on broadcast networks since May 2012.

Parton wrote the score (and Patricia Resnick the book) for 9 to 5: The Musical, a musical-theater adaptation of Parton's feature film 9 to 5 (1980). The musical ran at the Ahmanson Theatre, Los Angeles in late 2008. It opened on Broadway at the Marquis Theatre in New York City, on April 30, 2009.