Dolly Parton Broadway Bio Musical aiming for Spring 2025 — Page 5

Side note they’re doing a non Union tour of dolly’s Christmas movie this holiday season.

I cannot wait.

Dolly is deeply beloved all over the world, she is a lovely human being. If they tighten this up like 10%, it would be something really special. I think this will be a huge success in New York, they just need to do more work on the book.

Cute merch too

^ Totally ^

This is not playing the Vivian Beaumont lmao

BrodyFosse123 said: "They're going to need to book the Marquis Theatre if they intend to do that huge convention/expo set-up for its Broadway run. That's the only Broadway house that has the lobby space to achieve this. The other Broadway houses that have the space are already booked: the Gershwin (WICKED) and the Minskoff (Disney's THE LION KING)."

I'm sure any lobby activation on Broadway will be minuscule compared to what's on display in Tennessee. The Nashville production is a unique confluence of events: a local hero (who is even more merchandisable in TN than in NY), a new venue trying to make a big splash, and a city known for kitsch.

ATG is lead-producing the show, so we should assume they will program it into an ATG-owned house until we are informed otherwise. Which, for a show of this size, basically narrows it to the St. James, Hirschfeld, or August Wilson.

Updated On: 7/20/25 at 10:07 PM

Adeliciaboy said: "Really sad. I do not believe Bartlett Sher, the current director, is the man to save this show. From what I've seen of his work at Lincoln Center and elsewhere, he is devoid of creativity and has no ability to effectively stage work -- especially a new show like. "Dolly.""

Is there another theatrical director named Bartlett Sher, who isn’t a successful and acclaimed director of productions like South Pacific, King & I, Light in the Piazza, and Oslo, who is directing this?

Let’s see how things unfold. Even diehard Dolly Parton fans, who’d you’d assume would be whooping and hollering and raving about the show, are saying it needs work and some trimming down. I was surprised reading these comments from her fans.

By a shell-shocked attendee friend who LOVES Dolly.

Good evening from the wreckage. I’ve just emerged from the third preview of Dolly, a new musical supposedly celebrating one of country music’s brightest stars. Instead, it’s a joyless, confused disaster that feels more like a punishment than a tribute.

Dolly Parton herself opened the evening with a warm welcome. Unfortunately, the curtain rose—and the show collapsed. The first 15 minutes are so bleak and lifeless, The book is painfully dull, the cast struggles, and director Bartlett Sher delivers a production so sluggish, it borders on comatose.

Act I drags on for 90 minutes and ends with “The Bridge”—a downbeat, obscure Dolly song that kills any lingering hope. Act II is slightly better. Katie Rose Clarke’s “I Will Always Love You” lands with a thud, devoid of emotion.

Add in drab sets, clunky lighting, limp orchestrations, and a runtime of three hours and fifteen minutes, and it’s clear: this show needs a total overhaul.

If Dolly hits Broadway in its current state, it’ll be torn to shreds. We deserves better. So does Dolly.

From what I've seen of his work at Lincoln Center and elsewhere, he is devoid of creativity and has no ability to effectively stage work

So, you've never seen any of his work. Got it.

I feel like the wig was an indicator….

Can report that the other reviews so far on this thread are all true. This Dolly Disaster needs major help. As a massive Dolly fan (complete with a Dolly tattoo) and a huge lover of Broadway, I was so excited to see the show.

My husband and I traveled from Cincinnati this weekend to see the Sunday matinee. The Fisher Center is absolutely stunning, the venue is incredible. The "activations" in the lobby and throughout the main level were lots of fun and the merch was definitely selling like hotcakes. The excitement in the air before the show started was palpable.

Dolly and Bart appeared before the show to thunderous applause and gave the typical "this is an early preview, third audience, fifth time running it all the way through", etc. The show started and then it went downhill....quickly.

One of the main issues is that the show doesn't know what it wants to be or what it should be. Is it the story of Dolly's life and rise to fame? Is it a concert? Is it just the story of Dolly getting started in music and then her relationship with Porter Wagoner? It needs to choose a lane and stick to it. The show was mainly about Dolly's early years, her relationship with Carl, and her experience with Porter Wagoner. It barely touched on her massive career, the ups and downs of her life, or her philanthropy. It was wildly mis-guided. The biggest laughs of the night came from the one or two "tongue in cheek" jokes or the few jokes based on breasts or testicles.

The pacing was absolutely dreadful. The show was 3 hours and 20 minutes long. Yes, they will make cuts and shorten it, but with such lackluster pacing and staging, it really left a sour taste. The choice of songs was quite interesting. They literally chose some of the most obscure Dolly songs and then peppered in a few of her massive hits in the second act. I was so excited to hear big, lush arrangements of some of her music and there literally wasn't any. The first act ends with the most baffling song choice that it was jarring. The ensemble doesn't have much to work with, either. The set was attractive with more "physical" sets than I anticipated.

The performances were strong, with Katie Rose Clarke and Carrie St. Louis coming out the strongest. They really embodied Dolly and her voice and mannerisms but were also able to add a touch of themselves as well. John Zdrojeski is scary as Porter Wagoner...the costumes, the wig, the mouth. He really brought Porter to life.

Overall, for a show about one of the most successful artists of all-time who is literally the definition of "over the top", this was just so plain and uninspired. What are we supposed to leave the theater thinking about? What was the "moment" of the show? Give us big medleys of her hits, give us a "Strongest Suit" number with her fashion and wigs, give us more Dolly "hits" throughout the show. It just wasn't there. The quiet audience at the end of the show speaks volumes. An audience member by us said that they have already begun making changes, which is good. This needs a complete overhaul before even thinking about Broadway.

give us a "Strongest Suit" number with her fashion and wigs

They did just that in THE CHER SHOW. Since there wasn’t any logistical way to showcase a large portion of Bob Mackie’s legendary outfits he’s designed for Cher thru several decades, they wisely did a fashion runway sequence as part of the “Ain’t Nobody’s Business” number:

Updated On: 7/22/25 at 12:40 PM