NEW YORK—You know you’re in for something special when the audience starts applauding as the overture begins. With Bette Midler in the title role of the Broadway revival of “Hello, Dolly!”, this long-overdue return of the 1964 Broadway classic is a triumph on every level.
Set in New York City circa 1890, the play based on Thornton Wilder’s “The Matchmaker” centers on Dolly Gallagher Levi (Midler). Since the death of her husband 10 years earlier, the middle-aged woman has survived as a sort of jack-of-all-trades, with the various business cards to prove it. Dolly’s chief employment comes from her services as a marriage broker. She helps people of all ages and types find companionship, romance, and even love.
Dolly’s current client is Horace Vandergelder (David Hyde Pierce) of Yonkers. The well-known half-a-millionaire and widower is looking for a second wife. The front-runner in that regard is Irene Molloy (Kate Baldwin). Irene, who runs a millinery shop in New York City, is totally sick of the hat business and is looking to make a move of her own.
Dolly however, has her own plans for Horace. Something he knows nothing about yet.
