For Dollypop and other DOLLY fans

I've been meaning to share this little story for the past two months. I was reminded of this experience this past Saturday when I was watching 'ON YOUR FEET' in Buffalo with my mom and 12 year-old nephew. My mom loved it. My nephew liked it but "liked Dolly better." I had taken them to see DOLLY in early August. My mom is a HUGE Bette fan and surprising her with the tickets during our trip to NYC was worth every penny. I couldn't get three seats together so my mom and nephew sat together in the second row of the balcony. I was able to get a single seat in the mezz. At intermission, I went up to check on them. My mom was still in tears. "What's wrong?!" I exclaimed with a hint of worry. "Oh honey. She's AMAZING," she said as tears rolled down her cheeks. "It's absolutely WONDERFUL. I can't believe I'm seeing this." She went on to tell me how the woman sitting next to her was sobbing with her throughout the first act. They were 'supporting' each other through their tears of pure joy.

My nephew needed to go to the bathroom so the three of us went together. As we were coming down the stairs, we passed my mom's new theatre friend. "Here she is!" It was a beautiful woman with her husband/boyfriend. She looked to be around my age (mid to late 30's, perhaps early 40s). Young enough to be my mom's daughter. We all exchanged a brief, truly heartfelt conversation, gushing over what we had just witnessed. It honestly felt like we had known each other for years... bonded by what we had shared in the previous 90 minutes.

I was reminded of this brief, innocent yet joyous experience this past weekend when my perfectly innocent little nephew said "I liked Dolly better." It wasn't a knock on any other show. It was him being honest. And it transported me back to that night when two complete strangers... decades apart in age... bonded and became instant happy crying friends because of the magic of this show and this cast. And that experience reminded me of a similar one when I saw my other all-time favorite show, HAIRSPRAY, with my late Nana. I know years from now I will have the memory of this past August to wrap myself in when the world gets cold and my heart is hurting.

What would we do without musical theatre... especially in this day and age? Thank God for the wonder of this art form. Thank God for the wonderful world of DOLLY.

Updated On: 10/4/17 at 08:37 AM

Thank you so much for sharing this. It reminded me of the 1st preview of this production, where the whole audience was sobbing with joy. (I was actually concerned about dehydrating!) We all bonded and stood outside the theater hugging each other and not wanting the evening to end!

I recently took a group from my church to a matinee (with Dolly Donna). This was a group of good people who rarely see shows--let alone go to the city. I met one of the participants in the supermarket yesterday and he once again thanked me for organizing the trip. He said, "My wife and I knew we were going to see a Broadway musical but we weren't prepared for such a phenomenal experience. We can't get the music out of our heads and we keep talking about the show. Do you think you could arrange another trip to see it with Bernadette Peters?" (Is the Pope Catholic?)

Just spreading the "Dolly Glow"!!!!!

EthelMae said: "Thank you all for your wonderful stories. Makes me feel validated after I was recently chastised here for saying I wept at a recent performance.

I too recently took friends to see Donna. They hadn't been to the theatre in years. These were sisters who saw Ginger Rogers' Dolly. At intermission, they were groping in their bags for more tissue! And the husband of one of them, also not a frequent theatregoer, was stunned at the professionalism and awed at what he had just witnessed. I don't think he expected to be so moved.

I love talking with audience members who have never seen Dolly on stage. They too have this unexpected wave of joy at this beloved musical."

Lets be clear Ethel. No one chastised you here for saying you wept at a recent performance. You were doing a Donna vs Bette thing. Which was silly and read as if it was meant to cause divisiveness. I actually enjoy reading about your return visits.

You have me smiling from ear to ear!

With some people, the "Dolly Glow" lasts a few or a few months. With others, like me, it lasts 53 years.

I hope the glow within you never dims.

Wow, CT2, that is so moving. I'm sorry for your loss. I lost my sister 6 years ago and my dad 4 years ago. My mom I lost in 1992. She was the one who took me 4 times to Dolly with Merman in 1970. So, watching this new production makes me feel a little closer to her.

Sometimes "the world is full of wonderful things."

CT2NYC said: "This past August, I lost my sister and my father, a week apart from each other. It was (and continues to be) a very difficult experience,and I didn't have many opportunities to just relax.However, I made it a pointto take a little timeto lie out in the sun and decompress. When I did, I would put on my headphonesand decide what Iwould listen to. Every single time, I chose the new cast recording ofHello, Dolly!It'sthe only music that had the power to comfort me and lift my spirits."



What a small world! Whenever there's the funeral of a loved one, I turn to one of my DOLLY! recordings. Inevitably, I break out in tears but that's an essential part of the grieving and healing. Ultimately I realize that good things are around the corner and life will go on. Most importantly, I was spending time with a beloved friend...and that's what we do in times of grief.

I've told this story to both Carol and Jerry and Jerry was wiping tears from his eyes before I finished.

These stories are very moving, thanks for sharing. I took my mom to see Hello Dolly! because it's been somewhat of a new tradition to see musicals with my very G-rated mom. Hello Dolly! was squeaky clean, has a nice funny story, with good dancing and good songs. My mom loved it. This is definitely a great musical to take mom to see.