Dolly Parton Themed Musical Scheduled To Begin In July In Connecticut Theatre

A Dolly Parton musical is finally going live!

Goodspeed Musicals has announced that its upcoming season of new musicals will include one inspired by the country music legend's life — and sound advice. The show, scheduled to go live in July this year, would be handled by industry heavyweights, including Primetime Emmy winner Bruce Vilanch. It is unclear if this project is the same as the "autobiographical jukebox" the singer has reportedly been working on for over six years.

Fans who have been waiting for a Parton-themed musical to hit theaters finally have their wish. Goodspeed Musicals will mount a musical in her honor in their upcoming season at the Norma Terris Theatre in Connecticut.

The new musical, titled "Here You Come Again," will be produced by Vilanch, Tricia Paoluccio, and Gabriel Barre and is expected to run from July 26, 2023, until August 27, 2023. The show will follow the story of an improvised man, a diehard fan of the singer, receiving a few life-changing lessons from the multiple award-winning icon herself.

According to Paybill, the songs from the upcoming show will include some of her beloved hits such as "9 to 5," "Islands in the Stream," and "Jolene." The renowned Barre will choreograph and direct the new Dolly Parton Musical "Here You Come Again," which notably premiered at the Delaware Theatre Company in 2022.

The world premiere was followed by shows at Texas' Casa Mañana, Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera, Florida's Kravis Center, and Tennessee's Studio Tennessee. As for Parton's autobiography, the "Coat of Many Colors" hitmaker previously teased that one was in the making.

The jukebox musical, which would be a nod to her life journey and musical career, would allegedly be on the same pedestal with musical shows from other music powerhouses like Cher, Donna Summer, Neil Diamonds, and Carole King.

As it stands, there is no word on how the upcoming musical would affect the yet-to-be-finished "Two Doors Down" singer's autobiographical musical. Like "Here You Come Again," the jukebox would feature some of her well-known songs. During an interview in 2016, the 2019 MusiCares Person of the Year stated:

"We're telling my life story as a musical with some new songs. The hits will be in it, but I've written a lot of new music as well."

The 2011 Lifetime Achievement Grammy recipient has also hinted at the essence of finding the perfect person, with the singing voice and ample bosom, to play her in a biopic.

The Blast reported that Parton opened up about ringing in the New Year with her goddaughter Miley Cyrus by her side. The duo had performed a medley of two of their biggest hits — "I Will Always Love You" and "Wrecking Ball" — during Cyrus' New Year's Eve Party.

Beyond thrilling the crowd at the shindig, the moment held an emotional appeal for the singers, who recalled the process that led to them birthing the songs. For starters, the "Hannah Montana" star released "Wrecking Ball" towards the end of her public relationship with actor Liam Hemsworth, making it impossible for her to perform it without bawling her eyes out.

In fact, her godmother revealed that she cried during their rehearsals ahead of the party, which prompted her to hold the "Party in the U.S.A" hitmaker's hand when they performed it live. The emotional charge remained with the pair as they sang separate verses before jointly belting out the chorus. 

For Parton,  the experience was a "soaring" one that was "incredibly moving" with a "transcendent quality." Putting her thoughts into words during a follow-up interview, the 77-year-old said:

"The fact that we were singing so well together stirred up our emotions very much. Then we went into 'I Will Always Love You,' and she would just have these tears coming down, and it was so emotional."

The Grand Ole Opry inductee shared that she and Cyrus could deliver so excellently because they were invested in the lyrics and sang from a place where they could relate to what they "were singing — and singing about." 

"Wrecking Ball" was released in August 2013, and it earned the "So Undercover" actress her first number-one song on the Billboard Hot 100.