Dolly Parton’s Smoky Mountain Christmas Carol, a new stage musical from the Grammy Award-winning country star and Tony-nominated writer of 9 to 5 The Musical, will play a world-premiere engagement at Boston’s Emerson Colonial Theatre this holiday season. 


Set to run December 3–29, the musical features an original score by eight-time Grammy winner Parton, and a book by David H. Bell, artistic director of the Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C. 


Dickens’ London-set ghost story is reset in the Great Smoky Mountains of Eastern Tennessee at the height of the Great Depression, where Ebenezer Scrooge is recast as the callous owner of a mining company town. A concert production of the musical was staged at the Ordway Theatre in St. Paul, Minnesota, last November. 
​

Dolly Parton’s Smoky Mountain Christmas Carol will be directed by Curt Wollan, who adapted the original story with Bell and producer Paul T. Couch.

Dolly Parton's Smoky Mountain Christmas Carol will premiere in Boston! This all-new musical features new music by Dolly Parton and book by David H. Bell, and is produced by Red Tail Entertainment and Couch and directed by Curt Wollan. The strictly limited engagement will be held at Boston's Emerson Colonial Theatre from December 3-29, 2019.


Tickets start at $39.50 and are on sale to the public today. Tickets may be purchased online at emersoncolonialtheatre.com, by calling 888.616.0272 or by visiting the box office at the Emerson Colonial Theatre at 106 Boylston Street in Boston. The box office is open Tuesday through Friday at 12pm, Saturday at 10am and closed on Sunday and Monday. Online and phone ticket purchases are subject to standard service fees.


"I've been busy writing new songs that I hope will bring some of the warmth, love and good memories that I have of Christmastime in the Smoky Mountains of my youth," says Dolly Parton.


Eight-time Grammy winner and one of our most beloved storytellers, Dolly Parton (who is not appearing in the production) has re-written a legendary holiday tale as a new American classic in this world premiere musical. Set in the 1930s in the Smoky Mountain of East Tennessee, this incredibly heartwarming and truly unforgettable production imagines Ebenezer Scrooge as the owner of a mining company town, where his callous greed blinds him to the joys and gifts of the season. As a Christmas Eve snowstorm approaches, Scrooge is visited by his deceased business partner and three ghosts who compel him to see life anew and discover that love is the greatest and most precious gift we have. Dickens' classic characters and Parton's one-of-a-kind songwriting expertise are certain to make this a holiday event you'll want to share with those you love...and one you'll want to experience in Boston first.


"We felt that Dolly Parton's memories of Christmastime as a child in the Smokies, combined with the wonderful songs that she has written, deserved to be heard," says David Denson of Red Tail Entertainment. "And Dolly agreed wholeheartedly."


Throughout her illustrious career, the American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer, actress, author, businesswoman and humanitarian has been an ambassador for the Great Smoky Mountains where she was born and raised. Her love for this region and its people are woven throughout the music and songs and beautifully tells this classic story in a whole new light.
For more information, visit www.smokymountainchristmascarol.com

My good friend Barry Mendelson, long famed as the former GM of Madison Square Garden, Guinness Record Book Holder, and one of the most prolific promoters of live entertainment of the past 50 years finally convinced me to step out of the institutional bubble and survive by my wits alone. In other words, he got me to sell out.

It's harder than one would think... and the compromises necessary to make it work come much faster than I ever anticipated. I've got to admit, "art" quickly becomes a secondary concern to financial viability when there's no safety of a non-profit to ease the pain when a show hits the skids. But, honestly, from what I've seen, the non-profit world is changing and becoming more and more like the commercial one. Our regional LORT theater, Dallas Theater Center, now does broadway titles more than classics... "art" is being lost all over.

But you can't escape its resiliency. Art will always peek through the excel spreadsheet.

So I've left the cushy confines of my gilded tower at AT&T PAC and now find myself in a shared workspace in the Deep Ellum area of Dallas surrounded by hipsters and hustlers all trying to make their individual brand of lunacy work. It's a good move... there's no time for bullshit.

I'm happy to announce that I'm now the proud producer of The Pink Floyd Laser Spectacular as well as Lightwire Theater... both amazing experiences that have solid histories and established fan bases. Barry and I have also started developing new shows together... the conversation is creative and collaborative and as much art as anything I've ever done. 

​I'm looking forward to seeing where the adventure takes me...

Thanks to the local CBS station for spending a little time chatting about the Elevator Project...