Who will be the next Dolly Parton? The iconic singer has announced the finalists in the try outs for her upcoming Broadway musical, and you can bet they have some big boots to fill.
Dolly Parton posted the finalists names and snippets from their audition tapes on her Instagram account, saying:
These folks have captured the heart, spirit, and voice of Dolly herself, and we couldn’t be more excited to celebrate them with you.
⭐ Kathryn Adeline (New York, NY)
⭐ Peri Barnhill (New York, NY)
⭐ Elyse Bell (New York, NY)
⭐ Alberta Brown (Halifax, Canada)
⭐ Haley Brown (Los Angeles, CA)
⭐ Kylee Hennes (Richfield, WI)
⭐ Annelise Laakko (New York, NY)
⭐ Tasha Lefler (Newport, TN)
⭐ Solo Lowit (Milton, GA)
⭐ Kindred Moore (New York, NY)
⭐ Norah Nunes (Houston, TX)
⭐ Kelly O’Brien (Aldbury, UK)
⭐ Tricia Paoluccio (CA)
⭐ Cecilia Petrush (New York, NY)
⭐ Madeline Powell (New York, NY)
The post goes on to say, “Next stop: New York City! Each of these performers have been invited to audition for DOLLY: An Original Musical.”
Dolly Parton Musical Takes Fans Through Her Life
“Dolly: An Original Musical” will take the stage in Nashville this summer for its world premiere before moving on to New York City. Parton herself penned the script alongside Maria S. Schlatter, who co-wrote the TV movie “Christmas on the Square” with the singer. But the songs in the show are Dolly’s alone.
The musical takes Dolly fans back to the singer’s famously humble beginnings in Sevier County, Tennessee, where Dolly Rebecca Parton grew up as the fourth of 12 children in a one-room cabin in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains.
After high school, Parton headed for the big city of Nashville, where she quickly found success in the cast of “The Porter Wagoner Show.”
Parton says, “I’ve lived my whole life to see this show on stage. I’ve written many original songs for the show and included all your favorites as well. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll clap, you’ll stomp, it truly is a Grand Ol’ Opera. Pun and fun intended.”
One Finalist Braved LA Wildfires to Send in Audition
One of the names on Dolly’s finalist list, Haley Brown, is a Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter who was forced to evacuate her home during the wildfires there, leaving behind the recording equipment she planned to use to make an audition tape for Dolly.
Brown, who is half of the country duo The Doohickeys, was determined not to miss her chance to submit her audition to play Dolly before the January 12 deadline. So she grabbed her guitar and made a post from her hotel room.
The TikTok post has gone viral, with thousands of viewers commenting on the singer’s ability to capture Dolly Parton’s voice and spirit. It obviously caught the attention of a certain country music icon as well, because Brown is one of 15 women who will get the chance to audition for the chance to play Dolly on Broadway.
Dolly Parton’s Musical Will Spend the Summer at Belmont University
The Nashville production will play for four weeks at Belmont University’s Fisher Center for the Performing Arts. Preview performances begin July 18, with the official opening night set for August 8. The show will close on August 17. Tickets are now on sale at www.dollymusical.com.
In a press conference at Belmont University, the country legend says she’s incorporating a lot of Broadway style into the show but will still stay true to her country roots.
“We use a lot of the country instruments. … And I think they’ll appreciate me taking Nashville to New York with all those country sounds,” said Parton. “And when I had a chance to do something bigger and broader where I thought, ‘Oh, I’m gonna get to have an orchestra — that’s gonna be great if I can have strings on this and that,’ it was exciting and fun for me to write the new stuff.”
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Big Boots to Fill! Who Will Be the Next Dolly Parton?