Los Angeles, January 28
Veteran singer Dolly Parton announced that her autobiographical stage musical "Dolly: An Original Musical" will have its world premiere in Nashville this July.
Directed by Bartlett Sher, the Nashville production will play a limited four-week engagement on the campus of Belmont University, at the Fisher Center for the Performing Arts, as per Variety.
Preview performances begin July 18, with the official opening night set for August 8. Most of the Belmont performances will actually take place during that preview stage, as the show is scheduled to have its last night on August 17.
Parton and Sher announced plans for this seminal production during a morning press event at Belmont, in front of an audience of students as well as media, with Tennessean writer Marcus Dowling moderating.
Asked why she's doing the show now, Parton said, "Well, I ain't getting no younger, but as I tell my husband, I ain't getting no older either -- 21 and a half, you know? I've outlived so many plastic surgeons. But 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 till I'm gone and let somebody else decide how they think it should be done."
Parton also announced a "Dolly U" program at Belmont, described as "a groundbreaking immersive educational partnership" with the university.
- ANI