Hello, Dolly! (musical)
| Hello, Dolly! | |
|---|---|
 1994 Revival Cast Recording Cover |
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| Music | Jerry Herman |
| Lyrics | Jerry Herman |
| Book | Michael Stewart |
| Basis | Play The Matchmaker by Thornton Wilder |
| Productions | 1964 Broadway 1969 Film 1965 West End 1975 All-black Broadway revival 1978 Broadway revival 1995 Broadway revival 1996 Mexico City 2009 Regent's Park Open Air Theatre revival |
| Awards | Tony Award for Best Musical Tony for Composer and Lyricist Tony Award for Best Book |
Hello, Dolly! is a musical with lyrics and music by Jerry Herman and a book by Michael Stewart, based on Thornton Wilder's 1938 farce The Merchant of Yonkers, which Wilder revised and retitled The Matchmaker in 1955.
Hello, Dolly! was first produced on Broadway by David Merrick in 1964, winning the Tony Award for Best Musical and nine other Tonys. The show album Hello, Dolly! An Original Cast Recording was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2002.[1] The show has become one of the most enduring musical theatre hits, enjoying three Broadway revivals and international success. It was also made into a 1969 film that was nominated for seven Academy Awards.
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[edit] Background
The plot of Hello, Dolly! originated in a 1835 English play, A Day Well Spent. Wilder adapted Nestroy's play into his 1938 farcical play, The Merchant of Yonkers, a flop, which he revised, expanding the role of Dolly, and retitled The Matchmaker in 1955, starring Ruth Gordon.[2] The Matchmaker became a hit and was much revived and made into a 1958 film of the same name starring Shirley Booth. The story of a meddlesome widow who strives to bring romance to several couples and herself in a big city restaurant also features prominently in the 1891 hit musical A Trip to Chinatown.[3]
Although the part of Dolly Levi in the musical was originally written for Ethel Merman, she turned it down, as did Mary Martin (although each later played it).[2] Merrick then considered Nancy Walker, but eventually Carol Channing was hired, giving her the opportunity to create her most memorable role.[4] Director Gower Champion was not the producer's first choice as Hal Prince and others (among them Jerome Robbins and Joe Layton) all turned down the job of directing the musical.[5]
Hello, Dolly! had rocky out-of-town tryouts in Detroit and Washington, D.C.[4] After receiving the reviews, the creators made major changes to the script and score, including adding the song "Before the Parade Passes By."[6] The show was originally entitled Dolly, A Damned Exasperating Woman,[7] until Merrick heard Louis Armstrong's recording of the song and changed the name of the show. The show became one of the notable hits of the 1960s, running for 2,844 performances, and was briefly the longest-running musical in Broadway history. This is emblematic of a major Broadway paradigm of the 1960s: the blockbuster musical. During the 1960s, ten musicals ran over 1,000 performances and three ran over 2,000, redefining the "successful" Broadway musical.[8]
[edit] Synopsis
[edit] Act I
It's the turn of the 20th century, and all of New York City is excited because widowed but brassy Dolly Gallagher Levi is in town ("Call On Dolly"). Dolly makes a living through what she calls "meddling" – matchmaking and numerous sidelines, including dance instruction and mandolin lessons ("I Put My Hand In"). She is currently seeking a wife for grumpy Horace Vandergelder, the well-known half-a-millionaire, but it becomes clear that Dolly intends to marry Horace herself. Ambrose Kemper, a young artist, wants to marry Horace's weepy niece Ermengarde, but Horace opposes this because Ambrose's vocation does not guarantee a steady living. Ambrose enlists Dolly's help, and they travel to Yonkers, New York to visit Horace, who is a prominent citizen there and owns Vandergelder's Hay and Feed.
Horace explains to his two clerks, Cornelius Hackl and Barnaby Tucker, that he is going to get married because "It Takes a Woman" to cheerfully do all the household chores. He plans to travel with Dolly to New York City to march in the Fourteenth Street Association Parade and propose to the widow Irene Molloy, who owns a hat shop there. Dolly arrives in Yonkers and "accidentally" mentions that Irene's first husband might not have died of natural causes, and also mentions that she knows an heiress, Ernestina Money, who may be interested in Horace. Horace leaves for New York and tells Cornelius and Barnaby to mind the store.
Cornelius decides that he and Barnaby need to get out of Yonkers. They'll go to New York, have a good meal, spend all their money, see the stuffed whale in Barnum's museum, almost get arrested, and each kiss a girl! They blow up some tomato cans to create a terrible stench and a good alibi to close the store. Dolly mentions that she knows two ladies in New York they should call on: Irene Molloy and her shop assistant, Minnie Fay. She tells Ermengarde and Ambrose that she'll enter them in the polka competition at the upscale Harmonia Gardens Restaurant in New York City so Ambrose can demonstrate his ability to be a bread winner to Uncle Horace. Cornelius, Barnaby, Ambrose, Ermengarde and Dolly "Put on [their] Sunday Clothes" and take the train to New York.
Irene and Minnie open their hat shop for the afternoon. Irene wants a husband but does not love Horace Vandergelder. She declares that she will wear an elaborate hat to impress a gentleman ("Ribbons Down My Back"). Cornelius and Barnaby arrive at the shop and pretend to be rich. Horace and Dolly arrive at the shop, and Cornelius and Barnaby hide. Irene inadvertently mentions that she knows Cornelius Hackl, and Dolly tells her and Horace that even though Cornelius is Horace's clerk by day, he's a New York playboy by night; he's one of the Hackls. Minnie screams when she finds Cornelius hiding in the armoire. Horace is about to open the armoire himself, but Dolly distracts him with patriotic sentiments ("Motherhood March"). Cornelius sneezes, and Horace storms out, realizing there are men hiding in the shop, but not knowing they are his clerks.
Dolly arranges for Cornelius and Barnaby, who are still pretending to be rich, to take the ladies out to dinner to the Harmonia Gardens to make up for their humiliation. She teaches Cornelius and Barnaby how to dance since they always have dancing at such establishments ("Dancing"). Soon, Cornelius, Irene, Barnaby and Minnie are happily dancing. They go to watch the great Fourteenth Street Association Parade together. Alone, Dolly decides to put her dearly departed husband Ephram behind her and to move on with life "Before the Parade Passes By". She asks Ephram's permission to marry Horace, requesting a sign from him. Dolly catches up with the annoyed Vandergelder, who has missed the whole parade, and she convinces him to give her matchmaking one more chance. She tells him that Ernestina Money would be perfect for him and asks him to meet her at the swanky Harmonia Gardens that evening.
[edit] Act II
Cornelius is determined to get a kiss before the night is over, but Barnaby isn't so sure. As the clerks have no money for a carriage, they tell the girls that walking to the restaurant shows that they've got "Elegance". At the Harmonia Gardens Restaurant, Rudolph, the head waiter, whips his crew into shape for Dolly Levi's return: their usual lightning service must be "twice as lightning" ("The Waiters' Gallop"). Horace arrives with his date, but she is not as rich or elegant as Dolly implied; and, bored by Horace, she soon leaves, just as Dolly planned.
Cornelius, Barnaby and their dates arrive, unaware that Horace is also dining at the restaurant. Irene and Minnie are excited by the lavish restaurant and decide to order the most expensive items on the menu. Fearful of being discovered, Cornelius and Barnaby become increasingly nervous as they realize they have little more than a dollar left. Dolly makes her triumphant return to the Harmonia Gardens and is greeted in style by the staff ("Hello, Dolly!") She sits in the now-empty seat at Horace's table and proceeds to eat a large, expensive dinner, telling the exasperated Horace that no matter what he says, she will not marry him. Barnaby and Horace hail waiters at the same time, and in the ensuing confusion each drops his wallet and inadvertently picks up the other's. Barnaby is delighted that he can now pay the restaurant bill, while Horace finds only a little spare change. Barnaby and Cornelius realize that the wallet must belong to Horace. Cornelius, Irene, Barnaby and Minnie try to sneak out during the "The Polka Contest", but Horace recognizes them and also spots Ermengarde and Ambrose. The ensuing free-for-all riot culminates in a trip to night court.
Cornelius and Barnaby confess that they have no money and have never been to New York before. Cornelius declares that even if he has to dig ditches the rest of his life as punishment, he'll be a ditch digger who once had a wonderful day because he met Irene. Cornelius, Barnaby and Ambrose each professes his love for his companion ("It Only Takes A Moment"). Dolly convinces the judge that the only thing everyone is guilty of is being in love. Everyone is found innocent and cleared of all charges, but Horace is declared guilty and forced to pay damages. Dolly mentions marriage again, and Horace declares that he wouldn't marry her if she were the last woman in the world. Dolly angrily bids him "So Long, Dearie", telling him that while he's bored and lonely, she'll be living the high life.
The next morning, back at the hay and feed store, Cornelius and Irene, Barnaby and Minnie, and Ambrose and Ermengarde are each setting out on their own. A chastened Horace Vandergelder finally admits that he needs Dolly in his life, but Dolly is unsure about the marriage until her late husband sends her a sign. Vandergelder spontaneously repeats a saying of Ephram's: "Money is like manure. It's not worth a thing unless it's spread about, encouraging young things to grow." Horace tells Dolly life would be dull without her, and she promises that she'll "never go away again" ("Hello, Dolly" (reprise)).
[edit] Song list
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Note: The songs "World, Take me Back" and "Love, Look in My Window", both sung by Dolly, were cut before opening but were re-inserted into the show when Ethel Merman played Dolly at the end of the original run. "World Take Me Back" was added after "It Takes A Woman", and "Love, Look in My Window" was added after "Dancing".
**Note: The song "Elegance", though credited to Herman, was written by Bob Merrill for the 1957 show New Girl in Town but deleted from the original production.[9]
[edit] Productions
[edit] Original Broadway production
The musical, directed and choreographed by Gower Champion, and produced by David Merrick, opened on January 16, 1964 at the St. James Theatre, and closed on December 27, 1970, after 2,844 performances. Carol Channing starred as Dolly, with a supporting cast that included David Burns as Horace, Charles Nelson Reilly as Cornelius, Eileen Brennan as Irene, Jerry Dodge as Barnaby, Sondra Lee as Minnie Fay, Alice Playten as Ermengarde, and Igors Gavon as Ambrose. Although facing stiff competition from Funny Girl with Barbra Streisand, Hello, Dolly! swept the Tony Awards that season, winning awards in ten categories (out of eleven nominations), a record that remained unbroken for 37 years until The Producers won twelve Tonys in 2001. (Streisand later went on to star as Dolly in the movie adaptation.)
When Channing left the show, Merrick employed a string of big name stars for the role of Dolly, including Ginger Rogers, Martha Raye, Betty Grable, Pearl Bailey (in an all-black version with Cab Calloway and Ernestine Jackson), Phyllis Diller, and Ethel Merman, for whom Herman had originally written the show's score. Two songs cut prior to the opening — typical Mermanesque belt style songs "World, Take Me Back" and "Love, Look in My Window" — were restored for her run. Thelma Carpenter played Dolly at all matinees during the Pearl Bailey production and subbed more than 100 times, at one point playing all performances for seven straight weeks.
The show received rave reviews,[4][10] with "praise for Carol Channing and particularly Gower Champion."[11] The original production became the longest-running musical (and third longest-running show)[12] in Broadway history up to that time, surpassing My Fair Lady and then being surpassed in turn by Fiddler on the Roof. The Broadway production of Hello Dolly grossed $27 million.[13] Hello, Dolly! and Fiddler remained the longest-running Broadway record holders for almost 10 years until Grease surpassed them.
- Tour and regional Dollys
Dorothy Lamour, Eve Arden, Michele Lee, Edie Adams and Yvonne De Carlo played the role on tour. Molly Picon appeared as Dolly in a 1971 production by the North Shore Music Theatre of Beverly, Massachusetts. Lainie Kazan starred in a production at the Claridge Atlantic City. Both Tovah Feldshuh and Betsy Palmer played Dolly in productions by the Paper Mill Playhouse. Marilyn Maye also starred in several regional productions and recorded a full album of the score.
[edit] Original London production
Hello, Dolly! premiered in the West End at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane on December 2, 1965 and ran for 794 performances. Champion directed and choreographed, and the cast starred Mary Martin as Dolly and Loring Smith as Horace Vandergelder, with Johnny Beecher as Barnaby, Garrett Lewis as Cornelius, Mark Alden as Ambrose Kemper and Marilynn Lovell as Irene Molloy. Dora Bryan replaced Martin during the run.[14]
[edit] Revivals
The show has been revived three times on Broadway:
- November 6, 1975 - December 28, 1975, Minskoff Theatre - Starring Pearl Bailey and Billy Daniels in an all-black production (42 performances)
- March 5, 1978 - July 9, 1978, Lunt-Fontanne Theatre - Starring Carol Channing (147 performances)
- October 19, 1995 - January 28, 1996, Lunt-Fontanne Theatre - Starring Carol Channing (116 performances)
In London's West End, the show has been revived three times:
- 1979 - Starring Carol Channing at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane and Shaftesbury Theatre
- January 3, 1984 - April 27, 1984 - Starring female impersonator Danny La Rue as Dolly at the Prince of Wales Theatre[15]
- July 30, 2009 - September 12, 2009 - Starring Samantha Spiro (Dolly) and Allan Corduner at the Open Air Theatre, Regent's Park.[16] Spiro won the Olivier Award for her performance.
[edit] International productions
- The original German production of Hello, Dolly!, with the title character's surname "Wassiljewa" (Vasilyeva) rather than "Levi," starred Tatjana Iwanow (Tatyana Ivanov).
- The first production in Spanish was held in 1967 at the Teatro Nacional in Buenos Aires, starred by the famous Argentinian actress and tango singer Libertad Lamarque, who also did it in Mexico.
- In 1996, Mexican diva Silvia Pinal starred in the Spanish language version of the musical ¿Qué tal Dolly? ("What's Up, Dolly?") opposite Ignacio Lopez Tarso in Mexico City.[citation needed]
- In 1985, Cuban diva Rosita Fornes played Dolly Levis in a Cuban production of Hello, Dolly by the Teatro Karl Marx in Havana, Cuba. She also played Hello Dolly in Camaguey city and in a television production with Director Manolo Rifat.[17]
[edit] Tours
- Mary Martin starred in a US tour, starting in April 1965 and playing in 11 cities. The production also toured in Japan, Korea and Vietnam for a special USO performance for U.S. troops.[18]
- A second US tour began in September 1965, headed by Channing, and ran for two years and nine months. Eve Arden and Dorothy Lamour were replacements.[19]
- In 2008, Anita Dobson toured in the UK.[20]
[edit] Critical reception
Opening night reviews of the original production were generally positive, and Carol Channing's performance as Dolly Levi was greatly acclaimed; however, some reviewers criticized the score and the libretto, implying that Channing's performance was responsible for the efficacy of the show. In his review of the opening night performance, The New York Times theatre critic Howard Taubman wrote "Hello, Dolly! ... has qualities of freshness and imagination that are rare in the run of our machine-made musicals. It transmutes the broadly stylized mood of a mettlesome farce into the gusto and colors of the musical stage. ... Mr. Herman's songs are brisk and pointed and always tuneful ... a shrewdly mischievous performance by Carol Channing. ... Making the necessary reservations for the unnecessary vulgar and frenzied touches, one is glad to welcome Hello, Dolly! for its warmth, color and high spirits."[21] John Champman of the New York Daily News lauded Carol Channing's performance, declaring her "the most outgoing woman on the musical stage today – big and warm, all eyes and smiles, in love with everybody in the theatre and possessing a unique voice ranging somewhat upward from a basso profundo". He commented, however, "I wouldn't say that Jerry Herman's score is memorable".[22] New York Post critic Richard Watts Jr. wrote that "The fact that [Hello, Dolly!] seems to me short on charm, warmth, and the intangible quality of distinction in no way alters my conviction that it will be an enormous popular success. Herman has composed a score that is always pleasant and agreeably tuneful, although the only number that comes to mind at the moment is the lively title song. His lyrics could be called serviceable".[22]
In the New York Herald Tribune, Walter Kerr wrote, "Hello, Dolly! is a musical comedy dream, with Carol Channing the girl of it...[She] opens wide her big-as-millstone eyes, spreads her white-gloved arms in ecstatic abandon, trots out on a circular runway that surrounds the orchestra and proceeds to dance rings around the conductor. ... With hair like orange seafoam, a contralto like a horse's neighing, and a confidential swagger [she is] a musical comedy performer with all the blowzy glamor of the girls on the sheet music of 1916". Kerr perceived deficiencies in the libretto, though, stating that the "lines are not always as funny as Miss Channing makes them".[22] John McClain of the New York Journal American particularly praised the staging of the musical, saying that "Gower Champion deserves the big gong for performance beyond the call of duty. Seldom has a corps of dancers brought so much style and excitement to a production which could easily have been pedestrian...it is difficult to describe the emotion [the song "Hello, Dolly!"] produces. Last night the audience nearly tore up the seats as she led the parade of waiters in a series of encores over the semi-circular runway which extends around the orchestra pit out into the audience. It is a whale of a tribute to the personal appeal of Miss Channing and the magical inventiveness of Mr. Champion's staging".[22]
[edit] Awards and nominations
[edit] Original Broadway production
| Year | Award Ceremony | Category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | New York Drama Critics Circle Award | Best Musical | Won | |
| Tony Award | Best Musical | Won | ||
| Best Book of a Musical | Michael Stewart | Won | ||
| Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical | Carol Channing | Won | ||
| Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical | Charles Nelson Reilly | Nominated | ||
| Best Original Score | Jerry Herman | Won | ||
| Best Producer of a Musical | David Merrick | Won | ||
| Best Direction of a Musical | Gower Champion | Won | ||
| Best Choreography | Won | |||
| Best Conductor and Musical Director | Shepard Coleman | Won | ||
| Best Scenic Design | Oliver Smith | Won | ||
| Best Costume Design | Freddy Wittop | Won | ||
| 1969 | Special Tony Award | Excellence in Theatre | Pearl Bailey | Won |
| 1970 | Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Performance | Ethel Merman | Won |
[edit] 1978 Broadway revival
| Year | Award Ceremony | Category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Tony Award | Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical | Eddie Bracken | Nominated |
[edit] 1995 Broadway revival
| Year | Award Ceremony | Category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Tony Award | Best Revival of a Musical | Nominated |
[edit] 2009 Open Air Theatre revival
| Year | Award Ceremony | Category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Laurence Olivier Award | Best Musical Revival | Won | |
| Best Actress in a Musical | Samantha Spiro | Won | ||
| Best Theatre Choreographer | Stephen Mear | Won |
[edit] Recordings
A cast recording of the original Broadway production was released in 1964. It was the number-one album on the Billboard pop albums chart for seven weeks and the top album of the year on the Year-End chart. In 1965, a recording of the original London production was released. In 1967, a recording of the all-black Broadway replacement cast was released, featuring Pearl Bailey, who also starred in the unrecorded 1975 revival. The movie soundtrack was released in 1969. On November 15, 1994, the 1994 revival cast recording was released.[23]
[edit] Cultural influence
- In 1964, Armstrong's recording of the song, "Hello, Dolly!", rose to number one on the pop chart, making Armstrong, at age 63, the oldest person to ever accomplish that feat. In the process, Armstrong dislodged The Beatles from the number-one position they had occupied for 14 consecutive weeks with three different songs.
- A French recording of the title song by Petula Clark charted in the top ten in both Canada and France, and her Spanish version, "¿Qué tal Dolly?", was a hit as well.
- The title song was sung in the 1999 film Dick by actor Dan Hedaya, playing President Richard Nixon.
- The red satin, sequin-bedecked costume, designed by Freddy Wittop, that Channing wore during Hello, Dolly! was donated to the Smithsonian by Channing and theatrical producer Manny Kladitis, following the thirtieth anniversary tour of the show. It is currently on display at the National Museum of American History.[24] While Miss Channing's Harmonia Gardens gown is in the Smithsonian, the remainder of the original Freddy Wittop costumes are now housed in the permanent collection of the Costume World Broadway Collection, a theatrical museum dedicated to Broadway costuming located in Pompano Beach, Florida. These costumes are used for design reference, and in certain circumstances, rental to select professional theatres across the United States.
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ Grammy Hall of Fame Award
- ^ a b "Hello Dolly! - New Wimbledon Theatre" IndieLondon, March 2008
- ^ "Article on the show and the ladies who played Dolly" Curtain Up
- ^ a b c Kenrick, John.Musicals101 "Hello, Dolly! article" Musicals101.com
- ^ Gilvey, John Anthony. Before the Parade Passes by: Gower Champion and the Glorious American Musical (2005), St. Martin's Press, ISBN 0-312-33776-0, p. 117
- ^ Gilvey, p. 149
- ^ Bloom, p. 152
- ^ Kantor, p. 302
- ^ Suskin, Show Tunes, p. 263
- ^ Bovson article
- ^ Green, Stanley. Encyclopedia of the Musical Theatre, Da Capo Press, 1980, ISBN 0-306-80113-2, p. 183
- ^ "Long Runs on Broadway" playbill.com, retrieved July 1, 2010
- ^ Bloom, Ken and Vlastnik, Frank. Broadway Musicals: The 101 Greatest Shows of all Time, pp. 302. Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers, New York, 2004. ISBN 1-57912-390-2
- ^ "1965 London production" BroadwayWorld.com
- ^ "'Hello, Dolly!' listing" thisistheatre.com, retrieved July 1, 2010
- ^ "Hello, Dolly!'" listing openairtheatre.org, retrieved July 1, 2010
- ^ "YouTube video"
- ^ Information about a documentary chronicling Martin's Asian tour in Hello, Dolly! imdb.com
- ^ Green, Stanley."Encyclopedia Of The Musical Theatre" (1980), Da Capo Press, ISBN 0-306-80113-2, p. 183
- ^ Edmonds, Richard."'Hello Dolly!' review" thestage.co.uk, 8 February 2008
- ^ Taubman, Howard. "Hello Dolly!". The New York Times, 1964
- ^ a b c d Suskin, Steven. Opening Night on Broadway: A Critical Quotebook of the Golden Era of the Musical Theatre, pp. 297-301. Schirmer Books, New York, 1990. ISBN 0-02-872625-1
- ^ Release date of 1994 revival album Amazon.com, retrieved June 26, 2010
- ^ ""Hello, Dolly" Dress". National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution. http://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/object.cfm?key=35&objkey=116. Retrieved 2008-06-19.
[edit] References
- Bloom, Ken; Frank Vlastnik (2004-10-01). Broadway Musicals: The 101 Greatest Shows of All Time. New York, New York: Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers. pp. 152–155. ISBN 1-57912-390-2.
- Botto, Louis (2002-09-01). Robert Viagas. ed. At This Theatre. Applause Books. ISBN 1-55783-566-7.
- Bovsun, Mara. From 'Hello, Dolly!': Dolly Gallagher Levi. barbra-archives.com. Retrieved on 2007-04-08.
- Kantor, Michael; Laurence Maslon (2004). Broadway: the American musical. New York, New York: Bulfinch Press. ISBN 0-8212-2905-2.
- Hello, Dolly! imagi-nation.com. Retrieved on 2007-04-08.
- Suskin, Steven (1999-01-01). Show Tunes. New York: Oxford University Press US. ISBN 0-19512-599-1.
[edit] External links
- Internet Broadway Database listing for all productions
- Charles Nelson Reilly's autobiographical film, in which he discusses Hello Dolly
- Playbill list of longest-running Broadway shows (plays and musicals)
- TUTS study guide
- Synopsis,Casting,Choreography,Scenes and Settings
- 1964 New York Times review of original production
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