Dolly: A True Original Musical, the upcoming Broadway production that turned out to be the late superstar’s final passion project, has set its lead cast, all handpicked by Dolly Parton herself.
Katie Rose Clarke will star as Dolly Parton, reprising her role from her critically acclaimed performance in the show’s Nashville production.
Carrie St. Louis, who was involved in some of the earliest readings of the musical and just wrapped up an acclaimed run on Broadway in Just In Time, will be featured as Dolly, the ambitious and talented singer/songwriter trying to make her break in the Nashville music scene. 11-year-old Norah Nunes, who was one of the finalists of the “Search for Dolly” online open casting call, will play Little Dolly.
The cast will also include Grammy nominee John Behlmann as Carl Dean, Dolly’s devoted husband of almost 60 years, and Tony Award winner Gabriel Ebert as Porter Wagoner, the larger-than-life country music star who first introduced Parton to a national television audience.
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The musical, featuring new music from Parton as well as her classic hits like “I Will Always Love You,” “Jolene,” “Coat of Many Colors” and “9 to 5,” will begin previews at Broadway’s St. James on Monday, December 7, with an official opening on January 19, 2027, what would have been Parton’s 81st birthday.
Dolly: A True Original Musical had its world premiere last year in Parton’s hometown of Nashville, and tells Parton’s story in her own words and songs. She was a producer along with Danny Nozell, Adam Speers for ATG Productions and Gavin Kalin Productions.
Bartlett Sher (To Kill a Mockingbird, South Pacific), directs.
In addition to the music, Parton has written the musical’s book along with two-time Emmy Award winner Maria S. Schlatter, who previously partnered with Parton on the Emmy-winning Netflix film Christmas on the Square.
The music team for the production includes two-time Tony Award winner and two-time Grammy winner Stephen Oremus (music supervisor), Charity Wicks (music director), John Clancy (orchestrations), and Kent Wells (musical consultant). The music team is completed by Richard Dennison (vocal arrangements and music arrangements) and Gregg Perry (music arrangements and vocal arrangements) who are longtime collaborators with Parton.
The creative team includes Mandy Moore (choreography), Derek McLane (scenic design), Jennifer Moeller (costume design), Donald Holder (lighting design), Peter Hylenski (sound design), Nathan Amzi and Joe Ransom (video design), Robert Pickens (hair design) and Studio Pickens (makeup design).
Additional casting and other details for the Broadway production will be announced in the coming weeks.
