SCOOP: Inside Ambassador Richard Grenell’s Dolly Parton-themed Kennedy Center makeover

THE LOWDOWN:

• Shortly after Ambassador Richard Grenell took over the day to day operations of the Kennedy Center, he floated Dolly Parton as an ideal performer for all audiences, and his vision came one step closer to reality with the legendary center's latest programming.

• Joining Les Miserables in the Kennedy Center's programming is now Dolly Parton's Threads: My Songs in Symphony, which features a diverse setlist of Parton's music and the lore behind some of the biggest hits.

• It also "reimagines” Parton’s repertoire “in a symphonic experience that’s so sweet and so colorful it’d make a kid’s Halloween collection jealous, one attendee at a recent show told the Washington Reporter.

• Threads features guest musicians and vocalists, along with orchestrations of Parton’s hit songs — woven together with first-hand accounts from America’s sweetheart herself, giving audience goers a glimpse at the inspiration the Great Smoky Mountains had on her early song writing to her hilarious anecdote behind the hit song, “Jolene.”

Shortly after Ambassador Richard Grenell took over the day to day operations of the Kennedy Center, he floated Dolly Parton as an ideal performer for all audiences, and his vision came one step closer to reality with the legendary center's latest programming.

Joining Les Miserables in the Kennedy Center's programming is now Dolly Parton's Threads: My Songs in Symphony, which features a diverse setlist of Parton's music and the lore behind some of the biggest hits.

It also "reimagines” Parton’s repertoire “in a symphonic experience that’s so sweet and so colorful it’d make a kid’s Halloween collection jealous, one attendee at a recent show told the Washington Reporter.

“The show was a sweet escape from daily life and was a first class ticket to Dolly World,” Marisela Ramirez, who attended a recent sold out Threads performance, said.

Threads features guest musicians and vocalists, along with orchestrations of Parton’s hit songs — woven together with first-hand accounts from America’s sweetheart herself, giving audience goers a glimpse at the inspiration the Great Smoky Mountains had on her early song writing to her hilarious anecdote behind the hit song, “Jolene.”

The show also had gospel-like moments, particularly during “Blue Smoke,” as the cheerful crowd clapped along to a soulful rendition.

Parton herself says that “the threads of my life are woven together through my songs. That's why this project…is so special to me. It's all about sharing my music and my musical journey with audiences in a new way.”

Now, thanks to Grenell and to the staff at the Kennedy Center, Parton’s vision is available for all to see in the nation’s capital.