Dolly Parton surprised spectators last Thursday with an appearance at the Boston Common tree-lighting ceremony ahead of a performance of her new musical, “Smoky Mountain Christmas Carol" at the Emerson Colonial Theater. The night became more magical when Parton sat with the audience to watch the show, and received a surprise of her own when State Representative Ann-Margaret Ferrante of Gloucester took the stage to declare December 5, 2019, "‘Dolly Parton Smoky Mountain Christmas Carol’ Day," acknowledging her efforts to provide jobs for people across the Commonwealth.
The singer, songwriter, actress, and humanitarian is having a moment that extends well beyond the Commonwealth. She sat down with WGBH Executive Arts Editor Jared Bowen to talk about that, her early holiday memories, and how she uses them to write. Excerpts from their conversation are below. Tune in to Open Studio with Jared Bowen on Friday, December 20 at 8:30pm on WGBH 2 for the full interview.
On her own Christmas memories…
Dolly: Our whole life was depression, as far as like how we grew up, not having money or things that you could buy at the store. So we learned to live off the land. For Christmas, we had homemade toys, and our mom and dad would make their things, and we were lucky if we got a store-bought toy. They always tried to get us one store-bought toy for Christmas, but we had so much joy, so much fun making things for each other and for our neighbors, and making our tree and all that.
On how she writes shows like "Smoky Mountain Christmas Carol"…
Dolly: Well, I read the story and I know what the stories are. For instance, when I wrote the musical "9 to 5" for Broadway, I got into it the same way I got into Scrooge. I got into Mr. Hart because that character was like a mean old character. I thought, "Well, I've got to write really bad stuff. I've got to write from a mean old place." The only way to do that... you just kind of have to get inside that character. Tiny Tim as well. I was all the people in "Smoky Mountain Christmas Carol," all the ghosts and all the people that were coming back. I just kind of take it on and put myself in that character and that's fun for me! Because when I write, I act it out, too.
On where she writes…
Dolly: I live inside my head and inside my memories. Thank God for memories. There's an old song called "Precious Memories, Unseen Angels," and there are so many unseen angels that kind of walk through my mind all the time- takes me back to my childhood. So what I have to do is just kind of sit and concentrate and I can go anywhere in my imagination, and in my memories and my mind.
On the renewed popularity she’s experiencing right now…
Dolly: Yeah, my friends call me the "Dolly Mama," and my brothers and sisters- a lot of them just kid me about that. But I've been around for a long time and I think people relate to me. I feel like a member of their family, like Aunt Dolly, or like an older sister, because people have grown up with me and their kids have grown up with me. I've been around for a long time, doing a lot of different things. I've been in the movies, been on television, even in little shows like "Hannah Montana," so I have a younger following, too and I work a lot with children through the Imagination Library. I just love people. I accept everybody for who and how they are, wherever they are.
Watch the full interview on Open Studio with Jared Bowen on Friday, December 20 at 8:30pm on WGBH 2.
