“DOLLY” unveils its Broadway leading cast: the five actors personally chosen by Dolly Parton

Five actors will take the stage as the leading faces of “DOLLY: A True Original Musical” when Dolly Parton’s music arrives on Broadway this winter — and the choice was made by the country icon herself, as BroadwayWorld announces.

Katie Rose Clarke will reprise at the St. James Theatre the role of “Dolly Parton” that she originated in the Nashville world premiere last summer. The actress, known as Beth Shepard in the Tony-winning revival of “Merrily We Roll Along” and as a long-running Glinda in “Wicked”, made her Broadway debut in Bartlett Sher’s “The Light in the Piazza” — the same director who will also direct “DOLLY” on Broadway.

Carrie St. Louis, who has just closed an acclaimed run in “Just in Time” on Broadway, will be “Dolly” — the ambitious singer-songwriter trying to break into the Nashville scene. St. Louis also played this role in the Nashville premiere; audiences also know her as Glinda in “Wicked” and as the last Lauren in “Kinky Boots”. Little “Dolly” will be played by 11-year-old Norah Nunes from Texas, a finalist in the online “Search for Dolly” competition, who made her professional debut as Young Anna in the U.S. tour of Disney’s “Frozen”.

Dolly’s husband of almost 60 years, Carl Dean, will be played by John Behlmann (currently Tom Buchanan in “The Great Gatsby” on Broadway), while the great country star who discovered Parton for the American national audience, Porter Wagoner, will be played by Tony Award winner Gabriel Ebert (“Matilda”, “John Proctor is the Villain”).

“It is a rare privilege to create a musical alongside the person whose story is being told, and working with Dolly on this show will always remain special,” said Adam Speers of ATG Productions, on behalf of the producers. “Dolly was passionate about every aspect of the production, but never more so than when choosing the actors who would bring her story — and the people closest to her — to life on Broadway.”

Previews begin on December 7 at the St. James Theatre, while the official opening night will be on January 19, 2027 — the day Dolly Parton would have celebrated her 81st birthday. In honour of her dedication to children, the producers will offer 30,000 free tickets to New York public school students during the first year on Broadway.