Musical Mondays: Hello Dolly!

My first interaction with any of the music from Hello Dolly! came via the Pixar film WALL-E. The titular robot reveres video from the 1969 film, and snippets of Put on Your Sunday Clothes and It Only Takes a Moment give him a beautiful, innocent view on love. He is enamored with the songs and what it means to fall for someone so completely, and it is a wonderful, adorable movie. But this isn’t a review of WALL-E but rather it is a review of how I felt when I saw the current Broadway rendition of Hello Dolly! I mirrored the wide-eyed amazement of that little robot, and to this day if I need a pick me up, a smile after a long day, or a feeling of contentment, I put on the cast album.

Hello Dolly! is the story of Dolly, a match maker, who is helping set up a curmudgeonly “half-millionaire” who is in search of love. It’s also the story of two store clerks who work under the rich man going to town and falling in love themselves. It’s a story, more or less, about love in the most innocent of terms. And there is nothing wrong with that. An innocent portrayal of love can be a beautiful thing. The most recent Broadway staging is also theater in the most theatrical of ways. The staging is bright and inviting, the performances from the cast are strong, and the choreography is a ton of fun. It was phenomenally well-done.

But let me be controversial for a second. Not controversial for the sake of being controversial but controversial by disagreeing with the overall marketing of the show. Hello Dolly! was branded as “Better Midler in Hello Dolly!” Don’t get me wrong she is a complete legend—though her best work is in Hocus Pocus, only the second best Halloween movie behind It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. Bette is super fun to hear on the cast album; however, I saw the show with Donna Murphy, another Broadway legend, who I thought sounded better than Bette! She was So. Damn. Good. Powerhouse performance that lives up to the power of the iconic role.

The show is so much more than just a star though. There is a train that comes on stage--is this essential to the story? No. It is impressive and awesome? Yes. From the first note to the final song, the production draws you in and loses you in its world. The sets feel expansive and encompassing. It is the type of show that anyone could be in the role and it would make for a fun night at the theater. Well, not anyone. I should not be cast as Dolly. Clint Hannah as Dolly would be a terrible, terrible show.

Listen to the cast album if you want to smile. Really any song can do the trick, but there is something fun about skipping down the street with the wind at your back to the tune of Put on Your Sunday Clothes. Give it a try. Even in the most crap of weather, it’ll bring the sunshine out. And go see the show: Bernadette Peters is currently scheduled to be in the role through July 15 before Bette returns for 42 performances on July 17. Give it a go—you might just see me there.