Dolly! The Musical coming to Broadway 2026?

[Theatrefanboy1]

Posted: 10/1/25 at 11:05pm

I was wondering if there has been any word on whether they still plan to open Dolly! The Musical in New York this spring? or if they they plan to delay and rework the show after the reviews and reception in Nashville. As well with Ms. Parton's recent cancelation of a number of events due to health. I would love any information as I'm hoping to plan a trip around it this spring. 

As well, any word on casting changes? Thanks

[ACL2006]

Posted: 10/2/25 at 8:23am

Reports are that they've scrapped the immediate Broadway transfer for the Spring due to bad reviews.

[Ensemble1711444445]

Posted: 10/2/25 at 9:24am

ACL2006 said: "Reports are that they've scrapped the immediate Broadway transfer for the Spring due to bad reviews."
 

Updated On: 10/7/25 at 09:24 AM

[fashionguru_23]

Posted: 10/2/25 at 9:37am

Bart Sher doesn't scream jukebox musical to me, tbh

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 10/2/25 at 9:51am

I’m shocked they didn’t get Marc Bruni for this. Was Bart Sher their first choice? 

[carolinaguy]

Posted: 10/2/25 at 10:11am

Dolly's concert postponements in Las Vegas due to health challenges may be another reason to back-burner this for a bit. If she's not well enough to perform that short residency at the current time, the rigors of producing a Broadway musical would probably not be in her long-term wellness best interests either.

Updated On: 10/2/25 at 10:11 AM

[shomeika]

Posted: 10/2/25 at 11:48am

fashionguru_23 said: "Bart Sher doesn't scream jukebox musical to me, tbh"

It's actually not a jukebox musical, most of the songs were written for the show, by Dolly. There are maybe only 4 or 5 recognized hits.

The show was pretty good, the performances by Katie Rose Clarke and John Behlmann were especially good.  I can see why they might tweak the show a bit more, before moving onward though. I saw it late in the run and they did address the run time by the time I saw it. 

Updated On: 10/2/25 at 11:48 AM

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 10/2/25 at 12:32pm

Indeed, DOLLY! includes a handful of her hits but Parton wrote a large amount of original music for this show. This was unexpected as many people were confused with the non-recognizable songs as they assumed the show would be using all of her greatest hits sprinkled throughout. 

[Ensemble1711444445]

Posted: 10/2/25 at 1:10pm

BrodyFosse123 said: "Indeed, DOLLY! includes a handful of her hits but Parton wrote a large amount of original music for this show. This was unexpected as many people were confused with the non-recognizable songs as they assumed the show would be using all of her greatest hits sprinkled throughout."

 

Updated On: 10/7/25 at 01:10 PM

[Menken Fan]

Posted: 10/2/25 at 3:20pm

According to Dolly, she wrote over 25 new songs for the musical. I'm not sure how many remained in the show, but there is quite a bit of new material.  Also, when I saw it late in the run, it clocked in at about 2:30 plus intermission.

[Wick3]

Posted: 10/2/25 at 5:22pm

Ensemble1711444445 said: "BrodyFosse123 said: "Indeed, DOLLY! includes a handful of her hits but Parton wrote a large amount of original music for this show. This was unexpected as many people were confused with the non-recognizable songs as they assumed the show would be using all of her greatest hits sprinkled throughout."

It was mostly her old songs (not new) but also not all well known to everyone. She has a LOT of old songs! All the hits are there. It never got under 2:45 timing. Still a very long show."

Hamilton is close to 3 hours but never felt long to me. If this show is 2:45 and feels long, then something has to change.

[JSquared2]

Posted: 10/5/25 at 4:48pm

Wick3 said: "Ensemble1711444445 said: "BrodyFosse123 said: "Indeed, DOLLY! includes a handful of her hits but Parton wrote a large amount of original music for this show. This was unexpected as many people were confused with the non-recognizable songs as they assumed the show would be using all of her greatest hits sprinkled throughout."

It was mostly her old songs (not new) but also not all well known to everyone. She has a LOT of old songs! All the hits are there. It never got under 2:45 timing. Still a very long show."

Hamilton is close to 3 hours but never felt long to me. If this show is 2:45 and feels long, then something has to change."

Whether a show feels “too long” or not is really just a matter of personal opinion, isn’t it?  As an example, to me HAMILTON felt interminable—— but seeing both parts of THE INHERITANCE back to back flew by! 

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 10/5/25 at 4:53pm

The opinion that something is too long is usually a telltale sign of book problems — or that someone just doesn’t like the show. MY FAIR LADY is long but not too long, and (imho) its book is tight as a drum.