Stage Review - Hello Dolly (Village Theatre)
Stage Review - Hello Dolly
Presented By: Village Theatre - Issaquah, WA
Date Reviewed: Saturday, June 3, 2023
Reviewed By: Greg Heilman
There’s a song in the musical Hello Dolly, “It Only Takes a Moment”, which is sung by the character Cornelius Hackl upon discovering that he could feel so much love in one moment that it could last for a lifetime. “It only takes a moment to be loved a whole life long”. I sort of know how Cornelius feels, but not in the way lyricist Jerry Herman may have intended. At the risk of sounding too platitudinous, that moment for me was after I heard the first measure of music performed by the orchestra during the Saturday matinee performance of Village Theatre’s production of Hello Dolly. The “Overture” of any Broadway show typically represents an instrumental medley of most, if not all, of the songs the audience is about to hear. When the Village Theatre orchestra, under the direction of Conductor Bruce Monroe, began the overture for Hello Dolly, and those familiar melodies from such songs as “Put on Your Sunday Clothes”, “Hello Dolly”, “When the Parade Passes By”, and of course the aforementioned “It Only Takes a Moment” washed over the audience, I couldn’t help but smile and feel that for the next few hours everything was going to be ok. Of course, it’s not just the music, it’s the performance, and this is but one area that makes this production of Hello Dolly work.
Hello Dolly is a show most of us are familiar with, either from the 1969 film, starring Barbra Streisand as the strong-willed matchmaker Dolly Gallagher Levi, who is New York’s resident romantic puppet master, or from the 2017 Broadway revival with Bette Midler. The show, in its many iterations, feels like a revolving door of Broadway elite, and has had, in addition to its five Broadway runs, national tours, and international productions, any number of regional and community performances. The show is set in turn of the century New York and had a bit of a rocky road to travel before becoming the wonderful piece of art we are all familiar with. Based on the 1938 Thornton Wilder farce “The Merchant of Yonkers”, the plot of which can actually be dated back to a 1835 English play “A Day Well Spent”, Hello Dolly went through a number of changes from its original plot and characterizations. In fact, Wilder even had to change the name of his play to “The Matchmaker” in 1954, after his original version was a flop. In doing so, he expanded the character of Dolly, starting the ball rolling on a show that was adapted ten years later by Jerry Herman (lyrics and music) and Michael Stewart (book) into a musical and which debuted on Broadway in that same year in 1964.
The story does center on Dolly, a widowed matchmaker who spends her days not just setting up romantic relationships, but offering services ranging from dance instruction to mandolin lessons, pretty much anything anyone could ever need help with. A self-proclaimed “meddler”, she has also been patiently faithful to her late husband Ephram, but believes it’s time for her to look out a little for herself, and has her eye set on “half-a-millionaire” Horace Vandergelder, proprietor of his Vandergelder’s Hay and Feed store, and who has already engaged Dolly to find a new wife for him. While she begins spinning her web in order to get to Horace, she has no idea how her actions are going to affect Horace’s employees, Cornelius Hackl and Barnaby Tucker, both on their own search for a little adventure outside of their jobs at Vandergelder’s and outside of Yonkers. What follows is a chaotic interweaving of everyone’s lives, romantic and otherwise, something Dolly seems overly comfortable with, her ability to pivot when events transpire that weren’t exactly planned is beyond compare. The story goes from Vandergelder’s store in Yonkers to New York, to Irene Malloy’s hat shop where we meet both the owner of that store and her assistant Minnie Fay, then finally to the Harmonia Gardens restaurant where everything seems to come together in the show’s climax. Hello Dolly is a farce for sure, a confluence of situations that seem so implausible their sheer existence is humorous. When it’s done poorly, this show can still garner a number of laughs, but when it’s done well, boy, it can fly, and this production at Village Theatre, under the direction of Timothy McCuen Piggee soars.
Village Theatre has gone big with its production of Hello Dolly under Timothy’s direction. It’s an extravagance of a show, from costuming that seems larger than life in color, substance, and variety, to sets that are immaculately designed and constructed. Musically, it’s fabulous, each familiar song performed beautifully by a talented cast, who also capture the humor and poignancy that the show intends. Outside of a few minor stumbles on lines, and by minor I mean barely noticeable and handled without issue, the Saturday matinee at Village Theatre was as close to perfection as I’ve seen this season.
The turn of the century look, think of Disney’s Main Street if you need a reference point, is something that is captured excellently here, and that starts with Carey Wong’s scenic design. There’s a certain palette of colors, a set of fonts, and an overall design that we all associate with that turn of the 20th Century look and Carey’s design is right on target, but then he takes it to another level, and each set piece seems better than the last. The most constant piece is a background that displays each of the settings the show visits, which he uses to serve another purpose, acting as a sort of curtain while set changes are performed behind it, anywhere from Vandergelder’s shop, to Irene Malloy’s haberdashery, and finally to what is the coup de grace in Hello Dolly, the Harmonia Gardens restaurant. Each set is designed and built with such detail and is as much a part of the storytelling as any other component. Further, I cannot say enough good things about the costumes in Hello Dolly, and Esther Garcia’s design. Each costume, from the men’s plaid suits and ladies’ dresses with so many layers I think I lost count, to the uniforms worn by the wait staff and formal wear at Harmonia Gardens, every piece is just exquisite. Capping them all off, though, is what Esther has designed for Dolly. Dolly Gallagher Levi is larger than life herself, so her costumes have to be, too. There are so many good pieces here and when Dolly makes her grand entrance into Harmonia Gardens in Act 2, the round of applause she received on Saturday and will likely receive during each show has as much to do with her dress as for Dolly herself. The fact that these jaw dropping sets and eye popping costumes are so wonderful speaks to how excellent this overall production is, it’s a sensory and creative masterpiece.
This is a supremely professional production in all areas, beyond even the excellence of the orchestra and the set and costume designs. Lighting (Colin K. Bills) and sound (Rob Witmer) are each very well done here. Listing out the achievements of each would take too long, but suffice it to say that each light and sound feature is delivered on queue and works perfectly to support the telling of Hello Dolly, in support of this amazing cast.
That cast, of course, is led by Dolly herself, Bobbi Kotula. Bobbi is most definitely Dolly, she’s full of personality, she’s mischievous, and boy is she funny. Bobbi delivers on every aspect of Dolly that makes this character and performance a standout. Her interactions toward the audience, with orchestra conductor Bruce Monroe, and her cast mates is natural and so very witty. There is a scene late in the show that is just Bobbi being Dolly while everyone else stands on stage in place, with no dialogue, no jokes, and it may just be the funniest piece of theatre that I’ve seen this season. Vocally, Bobbi is in fine form in this role, her vivacious but almost sultry delivery shines in “Hello Dolly”, while her mischievous side comes out in “I Put My Hand In”. It’s a very wonderful performance all around. To say anyone is playing opposite Dolly in this show is an understatement, as frankly everyone plays opposite her. This cast, though, from top to bottom, from the leads to the ensemble, is excellent. To a person, they lift each other and create highlight upon highlight.
Allen Fitzpatrick is an excellent Horace Vandergelder, grumpy and demanding, all of that belying a good heart that is waiting for the right person to come along and help him show it off. Markcus Blair’s Cornelius Hackl is wide eyed with wonder and looking to escape the clutches of Vandergelder if only for one night off, while Rhys Daly’s Barnaby Tucker is a little more hesitant than his co-worker, but still up for an adventure, both of them frustrated with being held under their boss’ thumb. They both perform very well, Markcus so good and full of heart in “It Only Takes a Moment” and also in “It Takes a Woman”, alongside Rhys and Allen. Jessica Skerritt plays hat shop owner Irene Malloy, with Sarah “SG” Garcia playing assistant Minnie Fay. Both of these characters are very likable, Irene self-confident and determined in knowing what she wants, while Minnie is much more like Barnaby, loyal and very good natured. I found both of these performances to be extremely enjoyable, especially in “Elegance” and Jessica specifically in the reprise of “It Only Takes a Moment”. The heart that Jessica brings to Irene is the perfect match for Markcus’ Cornelius. Rounding out the cast of leads is Tatum Ludlam as Ermengarde, the overly emotional niece of Horace Vandergelder, Nehemiah Hooks as her would-be love interest Ambrose Kemper, and Karen Skrinde as Ernestina, one of Dolly’s more eccentric customers. Each of these actors are very good in these roles, as is the entire ensemble. Just how good this group is can be seen in “Before the Parade Passes By” in Act 1, or in the “Waiters Gallop” in Act 2. Full marks for all of them, and also for Kathryn van Meter’s choreography here, spectacular in the latter. The coordination of this amount of people on stage, to execute what is precise and beautiful choreography is another attestation to how wonderful everything is with this production.
There are many things to love about this show. I spoke to someone outside after the show on Saturday, who commented that she liked the show if for no other reason than it is just “happy”. In times like we’re all living through, with so much divisiveness, it’s nice to go to the theatre and experience something not heavy, but light and happy, something that makes you feel good inside. It’s good to smile, and there are plenty of those in this show. I also like the show’s self deprecating manner, understanding that some of the things said may not have aged well in the over 50 years that Hello Dolly has been around. Through a look, or comment, it’s addressed and moved on from, without dwelling on it.
Hello Dolly is a classic, and this alone would be enough of a reason to come to Village Theatre to see it during its run currently in Issaquah and next month in Everett. But what this group has done under the direction of Timothy McCuen Piggee is truly remarkable. This production of Hello Dolly has gone big and by doing so, it has hit one of the biggest home runs of this season. Bobbi Kotula is truly Dolly, and she is surrounded by a cast and creative team that is clearly and capably suited for this production. So, whether you wear your Sunday best, or decide to leave it at home for something more casual, it’s no matter as long as you take advantage of this wonderful opportunity we all have to see Hello Dolly at Village Theatre.
Hello Dolly runs onstage at Village Theatre in Issaquah, WA through July 2 and in Everett beginning July 7 and running through May 30. For more information and tickets, visit https://villagetheatre.org/.
Photo credit - Angela Sterling