As a creative and sensitive boy growing up in a small town in West Virginia, I began dreaming early on of making it to New York City and dreamed of being in musicals, once I learned what such a thing was! My earliest exposure was the Hello, Dolly! cast album with Pearl Bailey - my grandmother owned it, and I played it over and over, picturing this glorious show in my imagination...how lucky I was when the producer of our local summer theater took me and some of my fellow aspiring thespians to see Pearl Bailey and Billy Daniels in the touring production of HD in Pittsburgh - my first ever experience of professional theater! I was awestruck, dazzled to my gay little soul, and Pearl was bigger than life...I'll never forget when she came out for the finale in her wonderful white costume (everyone was in white for the grand finale) and stopped the orchestra after her bows and said, "Honey, I've gotta tell you all somethin'. Right before I came out here the zipper in my costume broke and I've barely been holdin' myself in here!" (She turned and showed us her zipper popped open in the back all the way to her waist). The audience roared love and joy as she laughed and laughed...
I have seen several productions of Dolly since then, and it strikes me that in addition to Jerry Herman's terrific infectious score, its the bones of Thornton Wilder's original play (The Matchmaker) that make this show work so well - it's so well-constructed to bring us to the tears of joy that are the catharsis produced by a well-made play!
Reading some of your early "reviews" here of previews has made me delirious with excitement to see this grand show for myself with our superstar queen Bette Midler...I have a ticket for March 30, and am counting the days til I can say hello to Dolly again! :)