Hello, Dolly! at PTC

Pioneer Theatre Company is ending the 2021-2022 season with a wonderful production of Hello, Dolly! starring Broadway star and TV personality Paige Davis.  I saw it last night and I loved it!  At the turn of the century, the irascible Horace Vandergelder (Kris Coleman) wants to get married again so he will have someone to do all of the chores at his Hay & Feed store in Yonkers, New York.  His niece Ermengarde (Hannah Balagot) wants to marry an artist named Ambrose Kemper (Myles Tracy Woolstenhume) but her uncle objects because he doesn't have a steady income.  His clerk Cornelius Hackl (Alexander Mendoza) is longing for an adventure in New York City so he convinces his fellow clerk Barnaby Tucker (Michael J. Rios) to come along with him and they vow not to return to Yonkers until they have both kissed a girl.  They soon meet Irene Molloy (Kelly McCormick), who owns a millinery shop in NYC but wants a rich husband to take her away because she hates hats, and her assistant Minnie Fay (Dori Waymer).  A recently widowed matchmaker named Dolly Levi (Davis) is hired to find a wife for Vandergelder but she decides that she wants to marry him herself.  She just needs to convince him!  She eventually arranges for all of the couples to meet for a memorable evening at the Harmonia Gardens Restaurant in NYC and merriment ensues!  This is a big old-fashioned musical and I loved all of the exuberant song and dance numbers, especially "Put on Your Sunday Clothes," "Dancing," and "Hello, Dolly!" because they feature dynamic choreography with a large ensemble.  I also really enjoyed the songs "Before the Parade Passes By" and "It Only Takes a Moment" because they both have poignant messages about life and love.  The sets are fantastic, particularly Vandergelder's Hay & Feed store and the Harmonia Gardens Restaurant, and I loved the elaborate period costumes, especially the lavish gown worn by Dolly at the Harmonia Gardens.  Davis is incredibly charismatic in the role of Dolly and I was really impressed with her singing and dancing!  The rest of the main cast is also really strong with Mendoza and McCormick as standouts.  I was absolutely delighted by this production and I highly recommend getting a ticket (go here) before the parade passes by.

Note:  The role of the judge is being performed by various notable people from local government and the media.  Last night it was the former state epidemiologist Dr. Angela Dunn and she was great!