Jerry Herman’s “Hello, Dolly!”, the 1964 musical blockbuster, has not had an original production in more than fifty years. While there have been Broadway revivals in 1978 and 1995, they starred Carol Channing, who created the role of matchmaker Dolly Gallagher Levi, following the blueprint laid down by director-choreographer Gower Champion.Channing’s iconic performance has kept revivals with anybody else at bay — until now. Producer Scott Rudin recently announced that next spring Bette Midler will be returning to the “lights of 14th Street” in the landmark musical, set in 1890’s New York. The show, with songs composed by Herman and a libretto by Michael Stewart, will be directed by Jerry Zaks and choreographed by Warren Carlyle.Recalling the original production, which played the St. James Theatre, Zaks, a four-time Tony Award winner, noted, “I fell in love with everything about it: the music, the dancing, the comedy, the style, the sheer power of it. Ever since then I’ve regarded Gower Champion as the quintessential master of the seamless blending of music, movement, and dialogue.”Carlyle echoed the sentiments about Champion, and added, “To have the opportunity to work with the legendary talent Bette Midler, as she takes her rightful place alongside the jaw-dropping list of women who have played this role, is nothing short of awe-inspiring.”That “jaw-dropping list” of women who followed Channing in the role included Ginger Rogers, Mary Martin, Ethel Merman, and Pearl Bailey, whose all-black cast included the Broadway debut of Morgan Freeman. But there’s no question that Midler will bring her own unique brand of sass and sentiment to “Dolly,” not to mention record-breaking box-office success. Following her Broadway debut in “Fiddler on the Roof” in 1967, she raked the dough in for her subsequent revues, including “Bette Midler” (1973), “Clams on the Half Shell” (1975), and “Divine Madness” (1980). One of the hottest tickets of the 2012-2013 season was John Logan’s “I’ll Eat You Last,” in which Midler kibitzed with the audience as the bitchy Hollywood super-agent Sue Mengers, whose client list included Barbra Streisand.This revival of “Hello, Dolly!” will begin performances on March 13, 2017, with an official opening date of April 20. No theater has been announced yet, but it wouldn’t be surprising if the production were to secure the St. James.More “Dolly”-related trivia: Streisand, who gets a going over in “I’ll Eat You Last,” starred in Gene Kelly’s 1969 film adaptation of “Dolly!” which flopped and reportedly lost an estimated $10 million.Five years earlier, Streisand lost the Tony Award for her “Funny Girl” to Channing for “Dolly!”The role of Dolly is described as “a widow in her middle years.” Channing was 43 when she created the role, Streisand was 27 when she starred in the film, and Bette Midler will be 71 when she sashays down the steps of Harmonia Gardens Restaurant.
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