Zooey Deschanel to Play Loretta Lynn in ‘Coal Miner’s Daughter’ on Broadway
Loretta Lynn is taking her life story to Broadway, and guess who’s going to play the lead role? Adorable ‘New Girl’ star Zooey Deschanel!
The celebrated country star revealed her plans for the musical adaptation of ‘Coal Miner’s Daughter’ on Thursday night (May 10) during a Grand Ole Opry performance at the Ryman Auditorium — and she brought Deschanel on stage to help share the news, much to the audience’s surprise.
The original coal miner’s daughter took to the Ryman stage donned in a teal copy of one of her signature floor-length dresses. She performed four songs for the sold-out crowd, before turning her attention to ‘The Coal Miner’s Daughter.’
“I have a friend here tonight. I don’t know if ya’ll remember when Sissy Spacek was with me. I brought her out here with me. She about fainted. We both fainted,” Lynn said with a laugh, according to the AP. “She went on to do the ‘Coal Miner’s Daughter,’ and you know from there. Well, there’s a little girl back stage that’s going to do the play of ‘Coal Miner’s Daughter’ on Broadway,” Lynn continued. “Zooey, where you at honey?”
Ms. Deschanel sauntered on stage with a short and lacy vintage-looking dress. Lynn invited her to do a duet of the now-famous song, and Zooey accepted with a smile, saying, “This is a great honor for me. This is my hero.”
The two traded verses as they shared the stage, and even held hands. Deschanel, who was nominated for a Grammy thanks to her singing contribution in the animated movie ‘Winnie the Pooh,’ wowed the crowd with her beautiful voice. Of course, her stunning looks probably contributed a bit, as well.
The Broadway adaptation of Loretta Lynn’s life story is still in the planning stages, but Zooey’s rendition of ‘Coal Miner’s Daughter’ made it clear that she has been practicing a Loretta-style lilt. In addition to the title song, Zooey will also perform ‘You Ain’t Woman Enough to Take My Man,’ ‘You’re Looking at Country,’ and ‘I’m a Honky Tonk Girl’ in the musical production.
Deschanel could barely contain her excitement about her new ties to Loretta Lynn. After the performance at the Ryman, she tweeted, “Loretta Lynn asked me to do “coal miner’s daughter” on broadway! I said YES!” She also attached an Instagram photo of herself posing with the 80-year-old country music star.
So far, mum’s the word on when ‘Coal Miner’s Daughter’ will hit Broadway, but we’re already counting down the days.