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Regional Reviews: Washington, D.C. Hello, Dolly! Also see Susan's review of Mother Play
The 1964 musical by Michael Stewart (book) and Jerry Herman (music and lyrics), adapted from Thornton Wilder's comedy The Matchmaker, became the longest-running musical in Broadway history when it closed in 1970 after 2,844 performances. (It's now number 22; The Phantom of the Opera tops the list with 13,981 performances.) It continues to entertain audiences as a fine example of the traditional format: appealing songs, non-stop comic complications, and a central role that has served many leading ladies well over the decades. First of all, Payton is a firecracker onstage, not to mention a fashion trendsetter thanks to costume co-designers Paris Francesca and Julie Cray Leong. She makes her entrance in a blue ensemble featuring sleek trousers beneath her overskirt, and her outfits just get more elaborate and embellished from there. She sings, she does broad comedy, she confides in the audience, and she is warm and sympathetic as she rearranges the lives of everyone around her. Director Kevin S. McAllister has brought together a tight ensemble of fine performers as the people caught up in Dolly's orbit. Moses Villarama plays Horace Vandergelder, the dyspeptic object of Dolly's attentions, as relatively subdued rather than easily angered by her machinations: he fumes and fusses, but he knows a force of nature when he sees one. Michael Perrie Jr. brings an appealing edge to Cornelius Hackl, the clerk who is sure of himself rather than cowed by his circumstances; he's just looking for an opportunity to stand out. Caitlin Brooke is a warm-hearted Irene Molloy with a rich voice, while Alex De Bard is a riot as Irene's excitable assistant Minnie Fay. And charming Wood Van Meter literally stands out as Ambrose Kemper, the artist who wants to marry Vandergelder's niece: he's taller than anyone else onstage. Choreographer Eamon Foley has created innovative dance numbers that recognize the show's history while extending it. The chorus members in "Put on Your Sunday Clothes" perform on a skeletal train car that rotates during the number (a highlight of Ravi "Riw" Rakkulchon's often mobile scenic design), and Christina Watanabe's lighting design incorporates bulbs on the proscenium flashing on and off in sequence. Musical director Christopher Youstra conducts seven other accomplished musicians from the piano, positioned on a bandstand at the rear of the playing area. Hello, Dolly! runs through January 4, 2026, at Olney Theatre Center, Roberts Mainstage, 2001 Olney-Sandy Spring Road, Olney MD. For tickets and information, please call 301-924-3400 or visit www.olneytheatre.org. Book by Michael Stewart Cast: |
