| Hello, Dolly! | |
|---|---|
 1964 Broadway poster | |
| Music | Jerry Herman |
| Lyrics | Jerry Herman |
| Book | Michael Stewart |
| Basis | The Matchmaker byThornton Wilder |
| Premiere | November 16, 1963 (1963-11-16):Fisher Theatre,Detroit |
| Productions | 1964 Broadway 1965 West End 1975 Broadway revival 1978 Broadway revival 1995 Broadway revival 2009 West End revival 2017 Broadway revival 2018 US tour 2024 West End revival |
| Awards | 1964Tony Award for Best Musical 1964Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical 1964Tony Award for Best Original Score 2010Laurence Olivier Award for Best Musical Revival 2017Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical |
Hello, Dolly! is a 1964musical with lyrics and music byJerry Herman and a book byMichael Stewart, based onThornton Wilder's 1938farceThe Merchant of Yonkers, which Wilder revised and retitledThe Matchmaker in 1954. The musical follows the story ofDolly Gallagher Levi, a strong-willed matchmaker, as she travels toYonkers, New York, to find a match for the miserly "well-known unmarried half-a-millionaire" Horace Vandergelder.
Hello, Dolly! debuted at theFisher Theater in Detroit on November 18, 1963,[1] directed and choreographed byGower Champion and produced byDavid Merrick. It starred stage performerCarol Channing as Dolly Gallagher Levi, a role theatrical audiences of the world would forever associate with her.[2] The show moved toBroadway in 1964, winning 10Tony Awards, including Best Musical and Best Actress in a Musical for Channing. The awards earned set a record which the play held for 37 years. The show albumHello, Dolly! An Original Cast Recording was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2002.[3] The album reached number one on the Billboard album chart on June 6, 1964, and was replaced the next week byLouis Armstrong's albumHello, Dolly![4] Louis Armstrong also was featured in the film version of the show, performing a small part of the song"Hello, Dolly!".
The show has become one of the most enduring musical theater hits, with four Broadway revivals and international success. It was also made into the 1969 filmHello Dolly! by20th Century Fox, which won three Academy Awards, includingBest Score of a Musical Picture and was nominated in four other categories, includingBest Picture at the42nd Academy Awards.
The plot ofHello, Dolly! originated in the 1835 English playA Day Well Spent byJohn Oxenford, whichJohann Nestroy adapted into the farceEinen Jux will er sich machen (He Will Go on a Spree orHe'll Have Himself a Good Time) in 1842.Thornton Wilder adapted Nestroy's play into his 1938 farcical playThe Merchant of Yonkers. That play was a flop, so he revised it and retitled it asThe Matchmaker in 1954, expanding the role of Dolly (played byRuth Gordon).[5]
The role of Dolly Gallagher Levi was originally written forEthel Merman but she turned it down, as didMary Martin—although both eventually played it.[5] Merrick then auditionedNancy Walker, but he hiredCarol Channing, who then went on to originate the role of Dolly.[6] DirectorGower Champion was not the producer's first choice, but it was turned down byHal Prince and others, among themJerome Robbins andJoe Layton.[7]
Hello, Dolly! had rocky tryouts inDetroit, Michigan, andWashington, D.C.[6] After receiving the reviews, the creators made major changes to the script and score, including the addition of the song "Before the Parade Passes By".[8] Initially calledDolly, A Damned Exasperating Woman,[9] thenCall on Dolly, Merrick revised the show's title after hearingLouis Armstrong's version of "Hello, Dolly". The show became one of the most iconic Broadway shows of the latter half of the 1960s, and running for 2,844 performances, was the longest-running musical in Broadway history for a time.[10]
Sources: Tams-Witmark[11] Guide to Musical Theatre[12] Masterworks Broadway[13]
As the 19th becomes the 20th century, all ofNew York City is excited because brassy widowDolly Gallagher Levi is in town ("Call on Dolly"). Dolly makes a living through what she calls "meddling" – matchmaking and numerous sidelines, including dance instruction andmandolin lessons ("I Put My Hand In"). She is currently seeking a wife for grumpy Horace Vandergelder, the well-known half-a-millionaire, but it becomes clear that Dolly intends to marry Horace herself. Ambrose Kemper, a young artist, wants to marry Horace's weepy niece Ermengarde, but Horace opposes this because Ambrose'svocation does not guarantee a steady living. Ambrose enlists Dolly's help, and they travel toYonkers, New York to visit Horace, who is a prominent citizen there and owns Vandergelder's Hay and Feed.
Horace explains to his two clerks, Cornelius Hackl and Barnaby Tucker, that he is going to get married because ("It Takes a Woman") to cheerfully do all the household chores. He plans to travel with Dolly to New York City to march in the Fourteenth Street Association Parade and propose to the widow Irene Molloy, who owns a hat shop there. Dolly arrives in Yonkers and "accidentally" mentions that Irene's first husband might not have died of natural causes, and also mentions that she knows an heiress, Ernestina Money, who may be interested in Horace. Horace departs for New York and leaves Cornelius and Barnaby to mind the store in his absence.
Cornelius decides that he and Barnaby need to get out of Yonkers and have an adventure in New York. They blow up some tomato cans to create a terrible stench as a pretext to close the store. Dolly mentions that she knows two ladies in New York they should call on: Irene Molloy and her shop assistant, Minnie Fay. She tells Ermengarde and Ambrose that she will enter them in thepolka competition at the upscale Harmonia Gardens Restaurant in New York City so Ambrose can demonstrate to Horace his ability to be a breadwinner. Cornelius, Barnaby, Ambrose, Ermengarde and Dolly all take the train to New York ("Put on Your Sunday Clothes").
Irene and Minnie open their hat shop for the afternoon. Irene wants a husband, but does not love Horace Vandergelder. She declares that she will wear an elaborate hat to impress a gentleman ("Ribbons Down My Back"). Cornelius and Barnaby arrive at the shop and pretend to be rich. Horace and Dolly arrive at the shop, and Cornelius and Barnaby hide from him. Irene inadvertently mentions that she knows Cornelius, and Dolly tells her and Horace that even though Cornelius is Horace's clerk by day, he is a notorious New York playboy by night. Minnie screams when she finds Cornelius hiding in the armoire. Horace is about to open the armoire himself, but Dolly, Irene and Minnie distract him with patriotic sentiments related to subjects likeBetsy Ross andBattle of the Alamo shown in the famous lyrics "Alamo, remember the Alamo!" ("Motherhood March"). Cornelius sneezes, and Horace storms out, realizing there are men hiding in the shop, but not knowing they are his clerks.
Dolly arranges for Cornelius and Barnaby, who are still pretending to be rich, to take the ladies out to dinner to the Harmonia Gardens restaurant to make up for their humiliation. She teaches Cornelius and Barnaby how to dance since they always have dancing at such establishments ("Dancing"). Soon, Cornelius, Irene, Barnaby, and Minnie are happily dancing. They go to watch the great 14th Street Association Parade together. Alone, Dolly decides to put her dear departed husband Ephraim behind her and to move on with life ("Before the Parade Passes By"). She asks Ephraim's permission to marry Horace, requesting a sign from him. Dolly catches up with the annoyed Vandergelder, who has missed the whole parade, and she convinces him to give her matchmaking one more chance. She tells him that Ernestina Money would be perfect for him and asks him to meet her at the swanky Harmonia Gardens that evening.
Cornelius is determined to get a kiss before the night is over, but Barnaby isn't so sure. As the clerks have no money for a carriage, they tell the girls that walking to the restaurant shows that they've got "Elegance". At the Harmonia Gardens Restaurant, Rudolph, the head waiter, prepares his service crew for Dolly Gallagher Levi's return: their usual lightning service, he tells them, must be "twice as lightning" ("The Waiters' Gallop"). Horace arrives with his date, but she proves neither as rich nor as elegant as Dolly had implied; furthermore she is soon bored by Horace and leaves, as Dolly had planned she would.
Cornelius, Barnaby, and their dates arrive, unaware that Horace is also dining at the restaurant. Irene and Minnie, inspired by the restaurant's opulence, order the menu's most expensive items. Cornelius and Barnaby grow increasingly anxious as they discover they have little more than a dollar left. Dolly makes her triumphant return to the Harmonia Gardens and is greeted in style by the staff ("Hello, Dolly!") She sits in the now-empty seat at Horace's table and proceeds to eat a large, expensive dinner, telling the exasperated Horace that no matter what he says, she will not marry him. Barnaby and Horace hail waiters at the same time, and in the ensuing confusion each drops his wallet and inadvertently picks up the other's. Barnaby is delighted that he can now pay the restaurant bill, while Horace finds only a little spare change. Barnabay and Cornelius realize that the wallet must belong to Horace. Cornelius, Irene, Barnaby and Minnie try to sneak out during "ThePolka Contest", but Horace recognizes them and spots Ermengarde and Ambrose as well. The ensuing free-for-all culminates in a trip to night court.
Cornelius and Barnaby confess that they have no money and have never been to New York before. Cornelius declares that even if he has to dig ditches the rest of his life, he'll never forget the day because he had met Irene. Cornelius, Barnaby, and Ambrose then each profess their love for their companion ("It Only Takes A Moment"). Dolly convinces the judge that their only crime was being in love. The judge finds everyone innocent and cleared of all charges, but Horace is declared guilty and forced to pay damages. Dolly mentions marriage again, and Horace declares that he wouldn't marry her if she were the last woman in the world. Dolly angrily bids him ("So Long, Dearie"), telling him that while he's bored and lonely, she'll be living the high life.
The next morning, back at the hay and feed store, Cornelius and Irene, Barnaby and Minnie, and Ambrose and Ermengarde each set out on new life's paths. A chastened Horace Vandergelder finally admits that he needs Dolly in his life, but Dolly is unsure about the marriage until her late husband sends her a sign. Vandergelder spontaneously repeats a saying of Ephraim's: "Money is like manure. It's not worth a thing unless it's spread about, encouraging young things to grow." Horace tells Dolly life would be dull without her, and she promises in return that she'll "never go away again" ("Hello, Dolly" (reprise)).
| Character | Broadway[14] | West End[15][16] | Film[17] | Broadway Revival[18] | Broadway Revival[19] | West End Revival[15] | West End Revival[15] | Broadway Revival[20] | Off-West End Revival[21] | Broadway Revival[22] | US National Tour[23] | West End Revival[24] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | 1965 | 1969 | 1975 | 1978 | 1979 | 1983 | 1995 | 2009 | 2017 | 2018 | 2024 | |
| Dolly Gallagher Levi | Carol Channing | Mary Martin | Barbra Streisand | Pearl Bailey | Carol Channing | Danny La Rue | Carol Channing | Samantha Spiro | Bette Midler | Betty Buckley | Imelda Staunton | |
| Horace Vandergelder | David Burns | Loring Smith | Walter Matthau | Billy Daniels | Eddie Bracken | Lionel Jeffries | Jay Garner | Allan Corduner | David Hyde Pierce | Lewis J. Stadlen | Andy Nyman | |
| Cornelius Hackl | Charles Nelson Reilly | Garrett Lewis | Michael Crawford | Terrence Emanuel | Lee Roy Reams | Tudor Davies | Michael Sadler | Michael DeVries | Daniel Crossley | Gavin Creel | Nic Rouleau | Harry Hepple |
| Irene Molloy | Eileen Brennan | Marilynn Lovell | Marianne McAndrew | Mary Louise | Florence Lacey | Maureen Scott | Lorna Dallas | Florence Lacey | Josefina Gabrielle | Kate Baldwin | Analisa Leaming | Jenna Russell |
| Barnaby Tucker | Jerry Dodge | Johnny Beecher | Danny Lockin | Grenoldo Frazier | Robert Lydiard | Richard Drabble | Mark Haddigan | Cory English | Oliver Brenin | Taylor Trensch | Jess LeProtto | Tyrone Huntley |
| Minnie Fay | Sondra Lee | Coco Ramirez | E.J. Peaker | Chip Fields | Alexandra Korey | Mandy More | Pollyann Tanner | Lori Ann Mahl | Akiya Henry | Beanie Feldstein | Kristen Hahn | Emily Lane |
| Ermengarde | Alice Playten | Beverlee Weir | Joyce Ames | Karen Hubbard | K.T. Baumann | Angela Curran | Sue Latimer | Christine DeVito | Clare Louise Connolly | Melanie Moore | Morgan Kirner | Emily Langham |
| Ambrose Kemper | Igors Gavon | Mark Alden | Tommy Tune | Howard Porter | Michael C. Booker | Mike Fields | David Ellen | James Darrah | Mark Anderson | Will Burton | Garrett Hawe | Michael Lin |
| Ernestina | Mary Jo Catlett | Judith Drake | Judy Knaiz | Bessye Ruth Scott | P.J. Nelson | Veronica Clifford | Carol Kaye | Monica M. Wemitt | Annalisa Rossi | Jennifer Simard | Jessica Sheridan | Jodie Jacobs |
| Rudolph | David Hartman | Robert Hocknell | David Hurst | Jonathan Wynne | John Anania | Ian Burford | Jeremy Hawk | Steve Pudenz | Andy Hockley | Kevin Ligon | Wally Dunn | Paul Kemble |
Source:[25]
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|
*Song cut before Broadway Opening, reinstated when Ethel Merman joined to play Dolly.
**Song was not included in the original version. During the tryouts inDetroit,Gower Champion invitedCharles Strouse andLee Adams to consult on improvements to the musical.David Merrick was aware of their involvement, but Jerry Herman was not, even though Strouse was under the impression that Herman knew about it. Strouse and Adams suggested re-working the ending of Act I, wrote a new song "Before the Parade Passes By" and sent it to Champion. By the time the next set of tryouts in Washington began, a different number with the same name, written by Herman, was included in the show. After Strouse and Adams threatened to sue the production, they were given a songwriting credit for the song. That conflict led to an eight-year-long feud between Champion and Michael Stewart on one side and Strouse and Adams on the other.[37] The official songwriting credits as listed withASCAP have Adams, Herman and Strouse as co-writers.[38]
***Song replaced "Come and Be My Butterfly" during Broadway Run.
^Horace Vandergelder's solo "Penny in My Pocket", although it received rave responses out of town, was cut prior to the Broadway opening for reasons of time. For the 2017 Broadway Revival, it was added back in as the opening of Act Two in front of the curtain. It is not, however, included in the licensed version for stock and amateur productions from Tams Witmark.
The song "Elegance", though credited to Herman, was written byBob Merrill for the 1957 showNew Girl in Town but deleted from the original production.[39]
The musical, directed andchoreographed byGower Champion and produced by David Merrick, opened on January 16, 1964, at theSt. James Theatre and closed on December 27, 1970, after 2,844 performances.[40]Carol Channing starred as Dolly, with a supporting cast that includedDavid Burns as Horace,Charles Nelson Reilly as Cornelius,Eileen Brennan as Irene, Jerry Dodge as Barnaby, Sondra Lee as Minnie Fay,Mary Jo Catlett as Ermengarde, and Igors Gavon as Ambrose. Although facing competition fromFunny Girl withBarbra Streisand,Hello, Dolly! swept theTony Awards in 1964, winning awards in ten categories[41] (out of eleven nominations) that tied the musical with the previous record keeperSouth Pacific,[citation needed] a record that remained unbroken for 37 years untilThe Producers won twelve Tonys in 2001.[42]
After Channing left the show, Merrick employed prominent actresses to play Dolly, includingGinger Rogers, who started on August 9, 1965;Martha Raye, starting on February 27, 1967;Betty Grable, from June 12, 1967, to November 5, 1967;Pearl Bailey (in an all-black version withCab Calloway as Horace) starting on November 12, 1967 (withThelma Carpenter as her alternate);Phyllis Diller, as of December 26, 1969; andEthel Merman (after having turned down the lead at the show's inception) from March 28, 1970, to December 27, 1970.[43]
Two songs cut prior to the opening – typicalbelt style songs "World, Take Me Back" and "Love, Look in My Window" – were restored for Merman's run.Jo Anne Worley was Channing's original standby but she never went on. She later played Dolly in regional andsummer stock productions.Bibi Osterwald was the standby for Dolly following Channing's and Worley's departures, subbing for all the stars, including Bailey, despite the fact that Osterwald was white.Marie Bryant andNovella Nelson also covered for the role of Dolly. Bailey received aSpecial Tony Award in 1968.[44]
The show received rave reviews,[6][45] with "praise for Carol Channing and particularly Gower Champion."[46] The original production became thelongest-running musical (and third longest-running show) in September 1970[47] in Broadway history up to that time, surpassingMy Fair Lady and then being surpassed in turn byFiddler on the Roof. The run was not continuous, unlikeMy Fair Lady, with several week-long breaks, including a week where the production moved to St. Louis.[48] The Broadway production ofHello Dolly! grossed $27 million.[49] By August 1970, it had made a profit of $8.5 million against its $350,000 investment.[48]
Mary Martin starred in a US tour, starting in April 1965 and playing in 11 cities. The production also toured inJapan,Korea andVietnam for a special USO performance for U.S. troops.[50][51][52]
After Channing left the Broadway show, she headed a second US tour beginning in September 1965. 18 months later, Rogers also joined the roadshow production.[48] It ran for two years and nine months.Eve Arden andDorothy Lamour were replacements.[53] Grable led another touring company before joining the Broadway show.[48]
Bailey and Calloway headed an all-Black tour in 1967 prior to their Broadway run, which was given a second cast album.[54][48]
Carole Cook (the second actress to play the title role, after Channing, appearing inAustralia andNew Zealand productions),Dorothy Lamour,Eve Arden,Ann Miller,Michele Lee,Edie Adams, andYvonne De Carlo also played the role on tour.Betty White appeared with theKenley Players as Dolly in the summer of 1979.Molly Picon appeared as Dolly in a 1971 production by theNorth Shore Music Theatre ofBeverly, Massachusetts.Lainie Kazan starred in a production at theClaridge Atlantic City.Vicki Lawrence played the role twice, once forSacramento Music Circus and once for Glendale Music Theatre.[55] BothTovah Feldshuh andBetsy Palmer played Dolly in productions by thePaper Mill Playhouse.Marilyn Maye also starred in several regional productions and recorded a full album of the score.
The Australian production was produced byJ. C. Williamson Theatres Ltd. and opened atHer Majesty's Theatre, Sydney on 27 March 1965.Carole Cook was imported to star, making her the second woman to play the role of Dolly Levi. Jack Goode played Horace, alongside Bill Millican as Cornelius,Jill Perryman as Irene, Tikki Taylor as Minnie Fay, and Brian Hannan as Barnaby.
Australian choreographer Betty Pounder was employed to stage the musical numbers. Jill Perryman served as understudy to Carole Cook.Nancye Hayes was featured in the ensemble as well as understudying the part of Irene Molloy.
After a successful season in Sydney, the show went on to playHer Majesty's Theatre, Melbourne, and His Majesty's Theatre, Auckland in 1966.[56][57][58]
In 1995 a new Australian tour was presented by Gordon Frost.Jill Perryman, who starred as Irene Molloy in the 1965 production, starred as Dolly Levi. The production opened at theState Theatre, Melbourne, followed byLyric Theatre, Brisbane,Her Majesty's Theatre, Sydney,Festival Theatre, Adelaide andHis Majesty's Theatre, Perth.[59]
The Production Company has stagedHello, Dolly! at theState Theatre, Melbourne twice: first in 2002, starringAmanda Muggleton, then again in 2017, starringMarina Prior.[60]
Hello, Dolly! premiered in theWest End at theTheatre Royal Drury Lane on December 2, 1965, and ran for 794 performances. Champion directed and choreographed, and the cast starredMary Martin as Dolly (after she, as well as Merman, had turned down the role for the original run of the show) andLoring Smith as Horace Vandergelder. Smith had created the Horace role in the original Broadway production ofThe Matchmaker, Johnny Beecher as Barnaby, Garrett Lewis as Cornelius, Mark Alden as Ambrose Kemper, and Marilynn Lovell as Irene Molloy.Dora Bryan replaced Martin from May 1966 until the show closed in October 1967.[61]
The show has been revived four times onBroadway:
In theWest End the show has been three times revived (to date, July 2024):
A 1989 UK tour of the show ofHello, Dolly!, directed and choreographed by Paul Kerryson, was headlined byDora Bryan reprising her 1965-66 West End role. Bryan's castmates includedNorman Rossington as Horace andKathryn Evans as Irene. Kerryson would subsequently direct the 2014Curve Theatre (Leicester) production ofHello, Dolly!, headlined byJanie Dee whose castmates includedLaura Pitt-Pulford as Irene andMichael Xavier as Cornelius.
The 2009Regent's Park Open Air Theatre revival ofHello, Dolly, headlined bySamantha Spiro under the direction ofTimothy Sheader, ran July 30 – September 12, with other cast members includingAllan Corduner (Horace),Josefina Gabrielle (Irene), andAkiya Henry (Minnie Fay).[68] The production was honored with theOlivier Award as the best London-area stage musical revival of 2009, also earning Olivier awards for leading lady Samantha Spiro and for choreographerStephen Mear.[69]
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On January 19, 2016, it was announced thatBette Midler would play the title role in a Broadway revival ofHello, Dolly!. Previews began March 15, 2017, officially opening on April 20, 2017, at theShubert Theatre.[70][71][72]
The production was produced byScott Rudin, directed byJerry Zaks and choreographed byWarren Carlyle.David Hyde Pierce played Horace Vandergelder.[73] Other principal casting for this revival includedKate Baldwin as Irene Molloy,Gavin Creel as Cornelius Hackl,Jennifer Simard as Ernestina Money,Taylor Trensch as Barnaby Tucker, Will Burton as Ambrose Kemper,Melanie Moore as Ermengarde,[74] andBeanie Feldstein as Minnie Fay.[75]Donna Murphy played the role of Dolly at Tuesday evening performances beginning in June 2017, as well as covering Midler's holiday dates.[32] She played her final performance on January 7, 2018.[76] Midler won the Tony for Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical, and Creel for Best Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical, at the71st Tony Awards in 2017.
Midler, Pierce, Trensch, and Feldstein left the production on January 14, 2018.[76]Bernadette Peters took over the role of Dolly on January 20, 2018, andVictor Garber took over the role of Horace Vandergelder.[27]Charlie Stemp assumed the role of Barnaby Tucker on January 20, 2018.[33][77]Santino Fontana temporarily played the role of Cornelius Hackl from March 2018 to May 6 while Gavin Creel recovered from back surgery. Creel returned to the role on May 8, 2018.[78] Before Fontana's temporary engagement, understudy Christian Dante White played the role of Cornelius.[79] The production closed on August 25, 2018, with Midler and Hyde Pierce returning to play Dolly and Horace (respectively) from July 17, 2018, to closing.[80]
Betty Buckley played the title role in the first national tour of the 2017 Broadway revival, which began performances in Cleveland, Ohio in October 2018 in theConnor Palace at Playhouse Square, after a tryout in Utica, New York in September 2018.[81][82]
Opening night reviews of the original production were generally positive, and Carol Channing's performance as Dolly Gallagher Levi was greatly acclaimed; however, some reviewers criticized the score and thelibretto, implying that Channing's performance was responsible for the efficacy of the show. In his review of the opening night performance,The New York Times theatre critic Howard Taubman wrote
Hello, Dolly! ... has qualities of freshness and imagination that are rare in the run of our machine-made musicals. It transmutes the broadly stylized mood of a mettlesome farce into the gusto and colors of the musical stage. ... Mr. Herman's songs are brisk and pointed and always tuneful ... a shrewdly mischievous performance by Carol Channing. ... Making the necessary reservations for the unnecessary vulgar and frenzied touches, one is glad to welcomeHello, Dolly! for its warmth, color and high spirits.[100]
John Chapman of theNew York Daily News lauded Carol Channing's performance, declaring her "the most outgoing woman on the musical stage today – big and warm, all eyes and smiles, in love with everybody in the theatre and possessing a unique voice ranging somewhat upward from abasso profundo." He also wrote, "I wouldn't say that Jerry Herman's score is memorable."[101]New York Post critic Richard Watts, Jr., wrote,
The fact that [Hello, Dolly!] seems to me short on charm, warmth, and the intangible quality of distinction in no way alters my conviction that it will be an enormous popular success. Herman has composed a score that is always pleasant and agreeably tuneful, although the only number that comes to mind at the moment is the lively title song. His lyrics could be called serviceable.[101]
In theNew York Herald Tribune,Walter Kerr wrote,
Hello, Dolly! is a musical comedy dream, with Carol Channing the girl of it. ... Channing opens wide her big-as-millstone eyes, spreads her white-gloved arms in ecstatic abandon, trots out on a circular runway that surrounds the orchestra, and proceeds to dance rings around the conductor. ... With hair like orange sea foam, a contralto like a horse's neighing, and a confidential swagger, [she is] a musical comedy performer with all the blowzy glamor of the girls on the sheet music of 1916.
Kerr perceived deficiencies in the libretto, though, stating that the "lines are not always as funny as Miss Channing makes them".[101] John McClain of theNew York Journal American particularly praised the staging of the musical, saying that
Gower Champion deserves the big gong for performance beyond the call of duty. Seldom has a corps of dancers brought so much style and excitement to a production which could easily have been pedestrian. ... It is difficult to describe the emotion [the song "Hello, Dolly!"] produces. Last night the audience nearly tore up the seats as she led the parade of waiters in a series of encores over the semi-circular runway that extends around the orchestra pit out into the audience, ... a tribute to the personal appeal of Miss Channing and the magical inventiveness of Mr. Champion's staging.[101]
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | New York Drama Critics' Circle Award[102] | Best Musical | Jerry Herman and Michael Stewart | Won |
| Tony Award[103][104][105] | Best Musical | Won | ||
| Best Book of a Musical | Michael Stewart | Won | ||
| Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical | Carol Channing | Won | ||
| Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical | Charles Nelson Reilly | Nominated | ||
| Best Original Score | Jerry Herman | Won | ||
| Best Producer of a Musical | David Merrick | Won | ||
| Best Direction of a Musical | Gower Champion | Won | ||
| Best Choreography | Won | |||
| Best Conductor and Musical Director | Shepard Coleman | Won | ||
| Best Scenic Design | Oliver Smith | Won | ||
| Best Costume Design | Freddy Wittop | Won | ||
| 1968 | Special Tony Award[106][107][108] | Special Award | Pearl Bailey | Won |
| 1970 | Drama Desk Award[109][110] | Outstanding Performance | Ethel Merman | Won |
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Tony Award[111] | Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical | Eddie Bracken | Nominated |
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Olivier Award[112] | Best Actress in a Musical | Carol Channing | Nominated |
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Tony Award[113][114] | Best Revival of a Musical | Nominated | |
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Evening Standard Theatre Awards[115] | Best Musical | Won | |
| 2010 | Laurence Olivier Award[116] | Best Musical Revival | Won | |
| Best Actress in a Musical | Samantha Spiro | Won | ||
| Best Theatre Choreographer | Stephen Mear | Won | ||
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Laurence Olivier Award[126][127] | Best Musical Revival | Nominated | |
| Best Actress in a Musical | Imelda Staunton | Won | ||
| Best Actor in a Supporting Role | Andy Nyman | Nominated | ||
TheRCA Victorcast recording of the original Broadway production was released in 1964. It was the number-one album on theBillboard pop albums chart for seven weeks, the top album of the year on theYear-End chart and won aGrammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album. In 1965, a recording of the original London production was released. In 1967, RCA Victor released a recording of the all-black Broadway replacement cast, featuring Pearl Bailey, who also starred in the unrecorded 1975 revival.[128]
The movie soundtrack was released in 1969. On November 15, 1994, the 1994 revival cast recording was released.[129]
The 2017 Broadway Revival cast recording was released on May 12, 2017, featuring the songs now sung by Bette Midler, David Hyde Pierce, Kate Baldwin, and Gavin Creel.[130]
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