By Kathryn Reed

It’s one thing to impersonate a living star; it’s another to share a stage with that person.

That is exactly what two veterans of Carnival Cabaret did Saturday night. Sean Paul, who is the current Dolly Parton in the female impersonation show at Horizon in Stateline, and Kevin Wiley, who has had that role in the past, was part of the 25th anniversary celebration of Dollywood.

Sean Paul as Dolly Parton in Carnival Cabaret. Photo/Yon Ju Kim

“It’s a great opportunity to work with a country legend. I’m still kind of speechless over the whole thing,” Paul said before the Aug. 28 event. “This will be the first time I will have met her. She has seen me before. I have gone to her concerts dressed like her.”

News about Paul and Wiley’s trek to the Nashville Performing Arts Center could not be released beforehand because they were part of the surprise for the guests.

The event is one of many Parton is having to commemorate this being the 25th year of Dollywood, which is a theme park in Pigeon Forge, Tenn. Through her nonprofit she has a literacy program that this year coincidentally gave out 25 million books to a youngster. The program started as a tribute to her father who could not read and write.

Miley Cyrus and her dad, Billy Ray, were expected to be in the audience. After all, Parton is Miley’s “fairy godmother”. They, with Kenny Rogers and other country stars, were part of an hour-long television show with Parton celebrating Dollywood that aired earlier this summer.

Before Saturday’s event Paul was fretting about how he would hold up in 4-inch heals for eight hours. After rock climbing Tuesday, blisters covered a good portion of his feet.

Thousands of people impersonate the buxom country star. The men with ties to Lake Tahoe and Sandy Anderson, a woman who impersonates Parton with Legends in Concert, are the three who performed “9 to 5” with the real Parton on stage last night.

Paul took one of the outfits his mom, Kris Scheramann, made for him. She makes most of his costumes.

He has been performing Parton in shows for almost 20 years, having started in Las Vegas.

Sean Paul

“I’ve always had a fondness for Dolly Parton music,” Paul said.

Wiley now lives in Los Angeles where he is an executive for Magic Castle in Hollywood. He was Carnival Cabaret’s Parton before Paul took over.