Dolly Parton surprises young ladies during a celebration for Girl Scouts from the Tanasi Council at the Pines Theatre in Dollywood. About 400 girls earned the "Coat of Many Colors" badge based on Parton's philosophy and song by the same name. Parton sang her famous song and awarded the girls their badges before posing for group photos.
Dolly Parton surprises young ladies during a celebration for Girl Scouts from the Tanasi Council at the Pines Theatre in Dollywood. About 400 girls earned the "Coat of Many Colors" badge based on Parton's philosophy and song by the same name. Parton sang her famous song and awarded the girls their badges before posing for group photos.
NEW YORK CITY - Maybe this city was trying to tell Dolly Parton something when she visited it for the first time.
She was 18 and on a senior trip with classmates from Sevier County High School. She walked the streets of Broadway and couldn't escape one particular Broadway show sign. It was everywhere she looked.
"It was for 'Hello Dolly,'" Parton recalled recently. "Everywhere we looked (the signs read) 'Hello, Dolly.' And I said, 'Well, it's like they were welcoming me to town.'"
Almost 45 years later, Parton finally felt the city's embrace. As the musical force behind the Broadway version of "9 to 5," the East Tennessee country gal has entered, perhaps, her strangest territory to date: the glitz and glamor of musical theater.
Though the show's Broadway run wraps up next month, "9 to 5" is hardly history. Starting in September 2010, the musical will travel from city to city as a road show, which many industry observers suspect will make it more profitable. On the road, "9 to 5" could run for years.
Already "9 to 5" is a critical hit like no other. Early in its run, the show earned 15 Drama Desk nominations, more than any other musical this year. It also garnered Parton the most unlikely citation of her storied career - a Tony nomination in May.
She wrote more than a dozen tunes for "9 to 5," and the soundtrack was recently released on her record label.
Actress Megan Hilty, who plays busty secretary Doralee (the role Parton played in the film "9 to 5"), says Parton is a unique voice in the musical theater world. Her perspective as a Broadway outsider is good for the genre.
"She's much needed in musical theater," says Hilty, whose extensive stage resume includes a run on "Wicked." "She's a genius when it comes to songwriting. Country music, in general, because it is based on characters, is a good basis for musical theater. Dolly is able to crawl into each character's skin because of her years of writing country music."
Parton secluded herself to concentrate on the personality of each character. She says it was particularly difficult to find the personality of overbearing boss Franklin Hart (Marc Kudisch). She could identify with the female characters, given the sexism she saw in Nashville during the early days of her career.
"I had to think big," Parton says of writing the music. "It wasn't something I was used to doing. It opened a door for me (creatively). It made me think (in terms) of a big presentation.
"I found I had more freedom as a songwriter when (I write for theater). I am writing characters, and that makes it easier to tell a story.
"When you write for radio, you think, 'Well, I've got to have a verse. I've got to have a chorus. I've got to write it (for) three minutes. On Broadway, it's not that way."
Even as Parton was thinking big, her songs were actually quite personal. "Each character has its own sound," Hilty says. "You wouldn't know (Dolly) was new to musical theater by the songs she wrote for this show."
Parton also ended up being the show's biggest cheerleader. She attended a month's worth of shows while it was in previews. Backstage, she would encourage the actors and greet them as they came off stage, Hilty says.
"9 to 5" seems to be only the beginning of her Broadway experience. New York critics have suggested Parton do a one-woman show of her music for the stage. Other reports indicate Parton may be behind a musical based on her rags-to-riches life story in East Tennessee.
"This is my year for musicals," Parton says. "I've been working on ('9 to 5') for almost four years. And now, it's another dream of mine that has come true."
Terry Morrow may be reached at morrowt@knoxville.com or 865-342-6445. His blog can be found at Knoxville.com.
© 2009, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
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Comments » 1
ElvisKin writes:
She has a talent as BIG as her......Heart.
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