Village Theatre closes its 2005-2006 Mainstage Season with Hello, Dolly! — the first locally produced professional Equity production of the show in the Pacific Northwest in 10 years. Humor and romance abounds when the widowed Dolly Levi parades into Yonkers, New York with marriage on her mind and a recipe for love in her pocket. With her eye on half-millionaire Horace Vandergelder, she hatches a scheme to win his heart while succeeding to match most every singleton she meets along the way. Packed with hilarious love triangles, over-the-top encounters and unforgettable tunes, including "Before the Parade Passes By," "It Only Takes a Moment,", and the beloved title song, Hello, Dolly! is a rollicking celebration of life and love.
A Rousing American Musical Comedy
Based on The Matchmaker by Thornton Wilder, this lively and irresistible award-winning Broadway favorite first paraded onto the stage at the St. James Theatre in New York City on January 16, 1964. An instant classic, audiences immediately fell in love with matchmaker extraordinaire Dolly Levi and her reluctant beau Horace Vandergelder. Starring Carol Channing in the title role and directed by Gower Champion, Hello, Dolly! went on that year to receive 10 Tony Awards®, including Best Musical, Best Score, and Best Director. The show's original production ran for 2,844 performances, the longest-running Broadway musical up to that time.
Interestingly, the part of Dolly was originally intended for star actress of the time Ethel Merman, but when she proved unavailable, Seattle-born Carol Channing brought the part of Dolly Levi vibrantly and magnificently to life; over the years she performed the role more than 4,000 times and won a Best Actress Tony Award. During its Broadway run, Ms. Channing was succeeded by Ginger Rogers, Martha Raye, Betty Grable, Bibi Osterwald, Pearl Bailey, Phyllis Diller, and Ethel Merman.
In addition to drawing star-studded talent for its title role, Hello, Dolly! also boasted an accomplished and celebrated creative team. Original director Gower Champion had seen success prior to Hello, Dolly! with his breakthrough Tony Award-winning hit Bye Bye Birdie. Along with his triumph with Hello, Dolly!, Champion also directed shows such as Carnival, I Do, I Do, and 42nd Street. Composer Jerry Herman's score catches the time period perfectly, and the title number, "Hello, Dolly!", has become one of Broadway's all-time great showstoppers. Herman also gained acclaim with his scores for Mame and La Cage aux Folles. Completing the trifecta of creative talent was librettist Michael Stewart. Collaborating previously with Champion by writing Bye Bye Birdie and Carnival, his book for Hello, Dolly! won him a Tony Award for Best Author. Following Hello, Dolly! Stewart joined with Mark Bramble on the libretti for the mega-hit 42nd Street.
Get to Know Dolly
Peggy O'Connell returns to Seattle to play Dolly Levi, a role she was born to play. Plucky, smart, and a musical comedy genius, O'Connell has won the admiration of audiences, critics, and directors alike throughout the world. An award-winning actor, Peggy has performed throughout the world, including Broadway's My One and Only (plus the first national and international tours) and the New York productions of The Ballroom and The Improv. At the Gutherie Theatre in Minneapolis, she performed in Three Penny Opera, A Christmas Carol, Guys and Dolls, Anything Goes, and Pirates of Penzance. And, at the acclaimed La Jolla Playhouse, she performed in Harvey.
With a theatre degree from the University of Montana, O'Connell embarked on her career in Seattle at the Empty Space Theatre where she met Steve Tomkins, Artistic Director and choreographer for Village Theatre. Tomkins and O'Connell performed together in the park shows for Empty Space, and Steve directed her in The Big Bad Wolf and How He Got That Way and Crossing Over. He also produced her production of My One & Only at the Civic Light Opera. While living in Seattle, she was a regular at The 5th Avenue Musical Theatre Company, Intiman, Seattle Children's Theatre, Seattle Repertory Theatre and Tacoma Actor's Guild. O'Connell now lives in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Hello, Dolly! marks O'Connell's first time performing at Village Theatre. |
