Performance dates: 9th - 13th March 2010 Venue: The Haymarket, Basingstoke Principals: Dolly Levi Helen Palmer Ermengarde Rosanna Hobbs Ambrose Kemper Robert Moir Horace Vandergelder David Scanlan Cornelius Hackl Rob Walton Barnaby Tucker David Chadwick Irene Molloy Kim Knights Minnie Fay Charlotte Barnes Mrs. Rose Carlie Cohen Rudolph Martin Palmer Ernestina Sarah Witts Judge Martin Palmer Production team: Director: Adam Bayjou Musical Director: Simon Eastwood Choreographer: Kate Aherne Stage Manager: Shelley Stace Click here for full cast and crew details

"Hello, Dolly!" is a madcap musical which brings the audience into a bygone era, in which the talkaholic but loveable busybody Dolly Levi sets out to entrap into marriage her most curmudgeonly client, the Yonkers half-a-millionaire Horace Vandergelder, all the while causing confusion to everybody involved with him.

The show overflows with effervescent humor and irresistible melodies, from "Put On Your Sunday Clothes", "It Only Takes a Moment" and "Ribbons Down My Back" to its show-stopping title song, making this show a delectable treat for music theatre lovers of all ages.

The musical score of "Hello, Dolly!" (both music and lyrics) was written by Jerry Herman, who also composed the scores of the musicals Mame and La Cage aux Folles. The book for "Hello, Dolly!" was written by Michael Stewart, who also wrote the books for the musicals "Bye Bye Birdie", and "42nd Street". "Hello, Dolly!" was produced by David Merrick, directed and choreographed by Gower Champion, and starred Carol Channing as Dolly.

"Hello, Dolly!" is one of the most popular Broadway musicals ever written. It opened at the St. James Theatre in New York City on January 16, 1964 and ran for 2,844 performances, becoming the longest running musical for its time. Although facing stiff competition from "Funny Girl" starring Barbra Streisand, "Hello, Dolly!" swept the Tony Awards that season, winning awards in 10 categories, a record that remained unbroken for 37 years until "The Producers" won 12 Tonys in 2001. The London production played for 794 performances at the Drury Lane Theatre.

Barbra Streisand was somewhat controversially cast as Dolly in the 1969 film. Produced by 20th Century Fox, it was directed by Gene Kelly, and the supporting cast included Walter Matthau and Michael Crawford, with a cameo by Louis Armstrong in what would be his final film appearance. It won the Academy Award for Best Art Direction, Best Music, Score of a Musical Picture (Original or Adaptation), and Best Sound. It also was nominated for Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, Best Film Editing, and Best Picture. Ironically, although the film appeared in the list of the top-grossing films of the year, the film did not recoup its $24 million cost.

Synopsis

The widowed Mrs. Dolly Gallagher Levi is a New York matchmaker by trade. In 1898, she travels to Yonkers to ostensibly arrange the second marriage of the rich, friendless and mean millionaire, Horace Vandergelder. In truth she is intending to marry him herself.

Dolly meets Horace in his Hay and Feed store, and skilfully plants doubts in his mind about Irene Molloy, herself a widowed milliner living in New York City who Horace has been courting. Promised by Dolly that he will meet an heiress that afternoon, Horace goes off to New York City to meet Irene and to march in the 14th Street Association Parade. He is followed by his two rebellious clerks, Cornelius Hackl and Barnaby Tucker, who decide that they want to live a little for once. Dolly also arranges for Horace' downtrodden niece Ermengarde to travel to New York with her intended, Ambrose Kemper.

Once in New York, Cornelius and Barnaby end up in Irene Molloy's hat shop after having dodged Horace on the streets of the city. Both are forced to suddenly hide from their employer who has gone to pay his respects. Though he doesn't find out who the men are, he knows that "men" are in the shop and breaks off all contact with Irene. Dolly smooths things over with Irene and arranges for the almost penniless Cornelius and Barnaby to take Irene and her assistant Minnie Fay to dinner at the very elegant Harmonia Gardens Restaurant.

When the 14th Street Association parade has finshed, Dolly arranges for Horace to meet Ernestina Money, the "heiress", at the Harmonia Gardens Restaurant in the evening.

After walking for 4 hours, Cornelius, Barnaby, Irene and Minnie Fay arrive at the restaurant and are escorted to their tables by Rudolf, the autocratic Head Waiter. Shortly after, Horace meets the overpowering Ernestina outside and is dragged into the restaurant by her. Dolly enters the restaurant alone and is serenaded by the waiters, who have missed her since her husband's death.

When Dolly meets Horace, she arranges for them to eat together with a good view of the dancing competition that the restaurant is famous for. Things get complicated when Horace discovers not only Ermengarde and Ambrose in the Harmonia Gardens competition, but also the two errant clerks. After a scuffle, Horace is arrested for causing a disturbance. Dolly successfully manages to get the charges for everybody quashed apart from Horace's.

Released but now clerkless and nieceless, Horace realizes the woman he really wanted to marry was Dolly. Dolly returns, and allows herself to be convinced to marry him.

Review