Highly Recommended ***** The beauty of Broadway In Chicago is the mix of classic musicals along with the new and pre-Broadway productions. They do it all ! When it was announced that “Hello Dolly” was part of the 2018 season, I think many patrons were hopeful that Bette Middler would bring the Broadway production here. When the announcement came that it would be Betty Buckley taking on the legendary role ( who can forget Carol Channing or even the film version with Barbra Streisand?), I knew that we were in for a treat. The opening last night proved me right, 200%!
This classic musical, based on the Thornton Wilder play “The Matchmaker” with a book by Michal Stewart and music/lyrics by Jerry Herman represents the musical of my days. This production is directed by Jerry Zaks, and follows the work of one of the greatest director/choreographers in history, Gower Champion. I am hopeful that young theater audiences will “Google” this name so they can learn a great deal about the history of “musical theater”.In most cases, a touring company is a “bus and truck” show with a set that is designed to look as glitzy as the Broadway show, but in this case, they are bringing us amazing costumes and a set (Santo Loquasto does it all) that captures the late 1800’s in New York. The train will amaze you and garnered its own ovation. 
The cast of this production is high energy and due to the “star” system created in this show, often gets overlooked. Yes, Buckley is amazing! Yes, she is a powerhouse” Yes, you will fall in love with her version of Dolly Levi, Matchmaker ( among other business ventures she is involved in) but you will also be entertained greatly by Lewis J. Stadlen as Horace Vandergelder, the man who has hired her to find him a new wife , and his clerks, Cornelius Hackl ( deftly handled by Nic Rouleau) and Barnaby Tucker ( Jess LeProtto is quite a dancer) who take a day off to live an adventure. They are heading to New York from Yonkers to kiss a girl.
The girls they meet and fall for are Irene Molloy ( Analisa Leaming) and her assistant Minnie (the adorable Kristen Hahn, who has strong comic timing). The adventure is mostly silly and the script of the show is sort of old hat. Could two young men take a trip to New York City, meet ladies who are more educated than them, spend an evening together and end up in love? Probably not possible, but on the musical comedy stage, anything and everything can happen. That is the world of fantasy created by the writers, directors, actors and ensemble members along with the crew of technicians who make it all seem perfect. The “Hello Dolly” number is almost 20 minutes of the greatest choreography to hit a Broadway stage. The waiters and cooks ( ensemble members are dynamite. I think I have them all: Connor Wince, Brandon L. Whitmore, Davis Wayne, Scott Shedenhelm, Kyle Samuel, Ian Liberto, Ben Lanham, Nathan Keen, Corey Hummerston, Dan Horn, Givanni Bonaventura, Wally Dunn and Daniel Beeman.
Musical Theater for the most part is designed to take us away from the craziness of our daily routine or watching the news and dealing with the political scene around us. For two hours and thirty minutes, we are in a different world. It is Yonkers and New York, circa 1895 and we are mesmerized by this marvelous cast headed by the powerful Betty Buckley. This show defies time. It was 1964 when it opened on Broadway, and here in 2018 it still sparkles. This is one of those MUST SEE productions, but you only have until November 17th to do so. The performances are as follows:
Tuesdays 7:30 p.m.
Wednesdays 2 and 7:30 p.m.
Thursdays 7:30 p.m.
Fridays 7:30 p.m.
Saturdays 2 and 8 p.m.
Sundays 10/28 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
11/4 and 11/11 2 p.m.
Tickets range from $27- $108 and can be purchased at any of the Broadway In Chicago box offices, by calling 1-800-775-2000 (The Broadway In Chicago Ticketline) or online at www.BroadwayInChicago.com
The production takes place in the beautiful Oriental Theatre located at 24 West Randolph Street
To see what others are saying, visit www.theatreinchicago.com, go to Review Round-Up and click at “Hello Dolly”
More Stories
“Joe Turner’s Come and Gone”
“How I Learned What I Learned” reviewed by Julia W. Rath
“How to Know the Wild Flowers: A Map” reviewed by Julia W. Rath