1 of 3
2 of 3
3 of 3
This summer, Nashville is buzzing with a little more rhinestone sparkle and Southern soul as Dolly: The True Original Musical takes the stage at The Fisher Center for the Performing Arts. Leading the production is Broadway star Carrie St. Louis, stepping into the legendary heels of Dolly Parton.
“I was over the moon,” St. Louis said of the moment she landed the role. “I mean, who doesn’t love Dolly?”
“I was also a little scared because she is the world’s greatest human, so stepping into her heels, even if I could have an ounce of Dolly, I am doing alright.”
Best known for standout performances in Wicked, Kinky Boots and the viral hit Titanique, St. Louis is no stranger to commanding a stage. But portraying Dolly, and doing so with her in the room each day, is something altogether new.
“The fact that she saw me as herself or saw her in me is truly the greatest compliment,” St. Louis said. “It is definitely not an easy pair of shoes to fill. I really had to find herself in me and where we were similar so I could really bring her essence to life without doing an impersonation that doesn’t feel real. It still needs to feel honest and truthful.”
Fortunately, St. Louis has a unique advantage: Dolly herself is actively involved in the show’s development.
“She is with us all day every day,” St. Louis said. “She’s the co-writer of the production. She has her songs, new songs and even has written songs on the spot. We gather around a piano and workshop songs with her.”
On the first day of rehearsal, the team gathered as Dolly performed a song live for St. Louis, who then had to sing it back to her immediately. “Her fingerprints are all over this production,” she said. “It’s really cool to hear from her firsthand, and we have gotten so close with her, closer than I could have ever imagined. She’s just better than you could even imagine.”
That close working relationship has helped St. Louis connect more deeply with the role.
“She has a strong personality and is very confident, and I find that’s kind of how I move through the world,” St. Louis said. “She also uses humor to offset everything and make her way through life. She likes to bring joy and life into every room she’s in, and I think that’s a lot like me. I like to use humor a lot. I am a very positive person.”
The similarities between St. Louis and Parton continue through their shared love of music.
“I love to sing. I have been singing my whole life. My favorite thing to do is sing, and I think that is very similar to Dolly,” she said. “She sings her life through songs — through grief, joy, storytelling. I always remind myself that I am just going to go out there and sing. And getting to sing her music? Dreams on dreams on dreams.”
Running in Nashville through Aug. 31 before heading to Broadway, the musical charts Parton’s rise from her Tennessee roots to superstardom, with an emphasis on stories never before told.
“What I am finding with the show that I love so much is there is a lot about Carl Dean (Parton’s late husband),” St. Louis said. “Their relationship was very private. They were married for 60 years and they met on her first day in Nashville. He was not in the business at all, very out of the public eye.”
“You get the beginning of their relationship, and that feels really precious to me,” she said. “I feel very honored to be able to tell that story that many people haven’t gotten to see before.”
Though she’s new to Nashville, the city already feels like home.
“Now I do!” she said when asked if she has a personal connection to Music City. “Nashville has just welcomed us with open arms, and I am playing Dolly when she moved to Nashville. I do feel like Dolly in a way, just showing up in Nashville. People have been beyond kind and generous. It’s really fun to see the audiences and the relationships because Dolly loves Nashville so much and Nashville loves Dolly. It just feels like this awesome relationship.”
When asked about Dolly’s hands-on involvement, St. Louis emphasized how rare that is.
“Yes, and that is not always the case with musicals about legends,” she said. “Sometimes they just come in at the end and sign off on it. But to get to have her be the one writing it and be the story that she wants to tell, this has been her biggest dream for a long time. To get to bring it to life with her at this time is just, yeah, pinching myself daily.”
“Dolly: The True Original Musical” runs through Aug. 31 at The Fisher Center for the Performing Arts. Tickets are now available here.