Dolly Parton has been through the hardest year of her life. But she is still not slowing down.
The country music legend announced Tuesday that her Broadway musical, Dolly: A True Original Musical, will officially open January 19, 2027 on her 81st birthday.
The announcement came just two months after Parton canceled her Las Vegas residency over serious health challenges that have kept her off the stage since last year. Her health declined seriously following the death of her beloved husband, Carl Dean, who passed away in March 2025.
Parton, now 80, described the show in her own words.
“My whole life has been a musical,” she said in a statement. “A grand ole opera really and I can’t wait to present it to you on Broadway. I hope you enjoy watching as much as I’ve enjoyed livin’ it.”
“It’s about where I really come from. What I’ve lived, what I’ve lost, what I’ve loved,” she said.
Parton will not perform in the production herself, and instead she serves as a producer. But her popular musical catalog will carry the show, including “I Will Always Love You,” “9 to 5” and “Jolene,” alongside new original songs written for the production.
The musical first debuted in Nashville and underwent significant creative revisions before heading to Broadway.
The announcement follows a sad May health announcement that Parton couldn’t open a Las Vegas residency, as was long planned.
“When they raised the hood on this old antique, they realized that I need to rebuild my engine — that my transmission is slipping, my oil pan is leaking, and my muffler is busted, and my shocks and pistons need to be replaced,” she said. “Because you know, as well as I know, that I can’t lose my spark.”
“Some of the meds and treatments make me a little bit swimmy-headed, as my grandma used to say,” she added. “And I can’t be dizzy carrying around banjos, guitars and such on five-inch heels — and you know I’m gonna be wearing them.”
“I have great doctors and I’m doing really well. And they assure me that everything I have is treatable. So I’m going with that.”
Parton also thanked fans for their support in the year since Carl Dean’s passing.
“I will always love him and I’ll always miss him,” she said. “But you would be surprised at how much your love and concern meant to me during that time. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you. You have been a big part of my healing.”
Now, she’s heading to Broadway.