Hello Dolly
The first show of Reagle Players 41st season is "Hello, Dolly!" which
is based on Thornton Wilder's play, "The Matchmaker". This 1964 musical
contains music and lyrics by Jerry Herman and is the story of the
resourceful widow, Mrs. Dolly Gallagher Levi, a
matchmaker and lady-of-all-trades who matches everyone she meets
and while doing so finds a match of her own. She sets her enormous bonnet
for the half-millionaire, Horace Vandergelder, and lands him on her
pleasure-loving terms. The show is a madcap musical which brings the
audience into a bygone era filled with excellent singing and dancing. The
show is expertly directed by Worth Howard and the outstanding
music direction is under Dan Rodriguez and Jeff Leonard who
also conducts the fantastic orchestra with choreography by Susan
M. Chebookjian who recreates Gower Champion's original staging. They
all chose the best 47 performers for these roles, earning them a well
deserved standing ovation at the curtain call.
Worth does an excellent job in his direction of this show, from
his blocking of people to placement of cast members to show picture
postcard moments and obtains many laughs with his knowledge of these zany
characters of the past. He knows how to get the best out of them comically
and dramatically. The gorgeous and plentiful costumes are by Freddy
Witop from the original show and Costume World Theatrical,
bringing vivid colors to the show especially Dolly's red dress and opening
orange outfit. Jeff's music direction is flawless from the opening of the
overture to the closing of the show, the music is exquisite to listen to
especially the strings in "Ribbons" and "It Only Takes a Moment". Jeff not
only gets the best out of his musicians but his vocalists, too. (The
trumpet players help to bring the bluesy feel to the title number and the
brass feeling in the parade scene.) Susan's choreography of polka,
waltzes, marching, cake-walk, kick-line, gallop, sword fighting, soft
shoe to name a few. The dancing is excellent and the dancers perform
her steps in perfect unison especially in the Waiters' Gallop and the
Dolly song. Susan directed and choreographed the outstanding
"Joseph" last season for Reagle Players. Stage manager,Karen
Parlato keeps things running smoothly onstage and backstage, keeping
the show in constant motion with her assistant stage manager Paul Reynolds
who's lovely wife, Eileen Grace an excellent choreographer for Radio City
Music Hall and Reagle Players, is expecting twins this October. The huge
sets are moved on and offstage with ease by Paul and his crew,
including the clever hat shop with the outside revolving around to
become a huge shop inside, the two story Vandergelder's Hay and Feed
store and the Harmonia Gardens set with 12 stairs for Dolly to make
her grand entrance as well as having many backdrops throughout the
show. The magnificent vocals of the cast reverberate in their solos,
duets and chorus numbers due to the casts powerful voices and the vocal
training by Jose Delgado.<P>
The cast is led by the sexy red head Rachel York as Dolly who
has a fabulous belting voice similar to Barbara Streisand.(She won the
Drama Desk award for her role opposite Julie Andrews in "Victor/Victoria"
on Broadway). Her rapid fire dialogue keeps you in stitches whether it be
when she is teaching someone how to dance or trying to get the man she
wants to marry her. Rachel entrances you from start to finish with her
high energy portrayal from "I Put My Hand in There" where she acts out
each job description she can fulfill. Rachel is one of the
sexiest Dolly's I have ever seen and her dancing is superb,
too. Her best numbers include the poignant, "Love,Look in My Window"
which was originally written when Ethel Merman was performing the show on
Broadway to soften the character so the audiences of the late 1960's would
be sympathetic towards her, the moving "Before the Parade Passes By"
where she sings about rejoining the human race after mourning for her
husband for many years and in the "Hello Dolly" song where clad in a red
dress and with red ostrich feathers in her hair, she makes a triumphant
return to Harmonia Gardens where with the waiters she does a
fantastic kick-line which is a standout moment in this show. Rachel
also does an excellent job in the Mae West vampy style number, "So Long
Dearie" where she chastises Horace for his bad behavior . She makes the
most of the comic and dramatic moments in the show, creating a Dolly to
remember with her topnotch line delivery. Some of comic moments occur when
she tries to hide the two clerks in the hat shop during "The Motherhood
March" and when she tries to teach them how to dance in "Dancing". Her
leading man, Horace Vandergelder is played beautifully by Jamie Ross.
He brings this stuffy, curmudgeon to life whether he is yelling at
his clerks and niece or trying to romance Irene, Ernestina or Dolly. He
sings the unromantic song "It Takes a Woman" about needing a woman in
his life to all the housework for him. Jamie is backed up by the male
chorus in this energetic romp with superior vocals and actions by all. He
handles the transition from hard-bitten miserly man to a softer
version wonderfully during the course of the show when he
finally admits his love for Dolly. The mannequin scene at the end of Act 1
is very funny when they pull the arms off while Horace thinks it is
Ernestina Money. The eating scene is hysterical where Rachel
cuts his food, tucks the napkin under his chin and continues to eat after
everyone is arrested while Jamie's facial expressions at
exasperation at her meddling in his life are a hoot. Rachel and Jamie have
a lot of chemistry together and the audience cheered when they ended up
together at last.<P>
Some comedic energy in the show comes from Rick Hilsabeck
as Cornelius and Sean McLaughlin as Barnaby. From their first
entrance from below the Hay and Feed set to their closing
moments, this duo shine with their comic antics and rapport with
each other. Rick's voice soars in "Sunday Clothes", "Dancing" and
"Elegance" but it is in "It Only Takes a Moment" that he shows the
character's serious side. (The ditch digger speech shows off the emotional
side of Cornelius.) Sean is humorous as the naive 17 year old Barnaby
who wants to see the stuffed whale at Barnum's museum and keeps
recounting his money while they are in NY on their date. His jumping
around the stage in "Dancing" scene is another of his laugh out loud
moments. Their girls, Irene and Minnie Fay are played
by Sarah Pfisterer and Danielle Naugler. Sarah who is a gorgeous
blonde has a lovely soprano voice which is heard in my
favorite song in the show, "Ribbons Down My Back" where Irene longs to
find romance again but it is in the "Moment" scene with Rick that she
shows her strength as a serious actress, moving the audience to tears
with its tender portrayal. (I am not surprised at her dramatic prowess
having reviewed Sarah in "Carousel", "The King & I" and "The Sound of
Music".) Sarah also handles the comic scenes wonderfully, too especially
the "Elegance" scene, the ordering of pheasants in the restaurant and the
hat shop scene. Danielle is a hoot as the motor-mouth Minnie who
can't stop asking questions and delivers her hat shop monologue
with the ease of a natural born comedienne while chasing the passer-by's
off the stage with her constant babbling. Danielle also shows off her
strong dancing skills in this role during "Dancing" and "Elegance" as well
as her strong vocal prowess. Their humorous rendition of "The
Motherhood March" with Rachel in the scene where they are trying to hide
the two boys, is another comic highlight. Angela Richardson is a riot as
Ernestina, Dolly's floozy friend who sings "Sweet Rosie O'Grady" off
key on purpose, does the hootchie-kootchie in front of Horace and makes
inappropriate comments all night long. She also chase on of the waiter's
offstage trying to grab his butt.
Horace's pretty niece, Ermengarde who constantly cries is played
by Sarah Landry and her artist boyfriend, Ambrose who Horace hates, is
well played by Patrick Dillon Curry who is a sophomore at Carnegie
Mellon's acting/musical theatre program. They get to dance a polka in the
second act and finally stand up to Horace during the finale scene. Another
comic performance is given by Jean-Alfred Chavier as the judge with the
huge fake nose which Dolly makes fun of by saying E Proboscis Unum and
cries at the end of the "Moment" song releasing everyone but Horace. A
touching portrayal of Dolly's friend, Mrs. Rose from the olden days
is given by Betsy Foley as the lead in to the romantic ballad "Love
Look in My Window". The multitude of fabulous dancers is led by Joseph
Cullinane and they all deserve kudos for their excellent work throughout
the show. This show brings back many happy memories for me, having played
the trombone in the pit band for the show in high school and having
directed it for West Bay Players in 1986. So for an outstanding version of
this musical with many show stopping moments in it, be sure to catch
"Hello, Dolly!" before the parade passes you by.
HELLO, DOLLY! (18 to 27 June, 2009)
REAGLE PLAYERS, 617 Lexington Street, Waltham,
MA
1(781) 891-5600 or www.reagleplayers.com