Biopics continue to be a popular genre in the film industry, with recent hype surrounding Timotheé Chalamet’s role as Bob Dylan in No Direction Home. But country legend Dolly Parton wants to go a different route, creating a Broadway musical depicting her life – featuring newcomers who are auditioning through TikTok.
Parton wants to bring her love for music and her life story together in an upcoming Broadway musical called Dolly. But rather than have established actors play the roles, Parton took to TikTok in early December and began her “Search for Dolly.”
The idea is that average people with a love for acting and singing will have a chance to become a part of the musical, portraying Parton at various ages. Currently 1,585 people have posted an audition video on TikTok with the hashtag #SearchForDolly.
Elyse Bell of New York City has become the internet’s favorite “Dolly.” Her audition video is at 5.8 million views.
Bell sings Parton’s song “Why’d You Come in Here Lookin’ Like That.” She has a voice and Broadway energy that people picked up on very quickly, and she is a promising candidate to portray a younger Dolly Parton.
Kelly O’Brien, a Dolly Parton impersonator from Halifax, England, is another internet favorite. Her audition video is at 1.4 million views.
O’Brien sings “Blue Smoke.” She has the looks, the voice, and the persona to match the current look of Dolly Parton.
Some other participants don’t have as many views but are just as talented as O’Brien and Bell.
The video from Emily Barrett of Hatfield, Pa., singing “Tennessee Homesick Blues” has just 11,000 views and 331 likes. She has Parton’s voice and the spirit, and she would also be a great candidate to portray a younger Dolly Parton
Another candidate for a possible middle-aged role is Ty Evans of New York City, Her video is at 107,000 thousand views with 5,198 likes.
Evans, who is transgender, has Parton’s look and energy. She sings “9 to 5,” one of Parton’s well known songs.
The winners will be named at a date to be determined via the TikTok account for the musical @DollyMusical. Parton will choose personal favorites, so the popularity of the videos won’t necessarily be important.
Although singing is a big part of Broadway performing, acting is also important, and these videos do not capture that skill. Parton and the directors will have to take that into consideration.
Parton’s audition format differs from the Hollywood norm of picking celebrities for biopics. In Elvis, Austin Butler played Elvis Presley, and in Bohemian Rhapsody, Queen’s Freddie Mercury was played by Rami Malek.
Instead, Parton wants to give her fans and aspiring stars a chance to be discovered and shine like she once did.
A similar situation happened with the rock band Journey in 2007. They were on a hunt for a new lead singer when guitarist Neal Schon found Arnel Pineda.
Pineda is from Manila in the Philippines and was a club singer at the time, doing covers. Schon found Pineda on YouTube and through e-mail asked Pineda to audition and then join Journey in 2007.
Video auditions for entertainment roles became essential during Covid, and it’s easy to see why Parton chose this method for her new musical. Talented people who live far away now have an opportunity to be discovered.
