HELLO, DOLLY! Sets August 25 Closing Date; Bette Midler to Return July 17 — Page 8

ChgoTheatreGuy said: "I always thought that from the moment that it was announced that she was going to play Dolly, I knew that they should have renamed the show, "Hello, Bette". I love her as a singer/entertainer/performer, but as an actress she needs to have a very tight rein. Without that tight rein, her overacting gets the best of her, take a look at all of the films she has made lately. "Hello, Dolly" is a classic of American Musical Theatre. I saw the last tour with Carol Channing and was completely mesmerized by her performance seeing the person that created the role and owning the stage. The overpriced charges for the seats should be regulated in some way so that certain people (producers and talent) don't runaway with the whole store. I thought that I wanted to see her on Broadway, but after reading most of the opinions of her performance on here, I think that I can wait to see her on TV or video..."

So you were ready to hate it no matter what. Too bad for you.

She is sensational in the show. Worth every penny and I will be going again.

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It's interesting that I live in NYC (theatre district too) and only read about this on here. None of the places I was at this past weekend was talking about it and didn't read about it in the times on Friday or Monday but I did see that tickets were still available at TKTS and TDF for the current Dolly.

So no word of any AMEX pre-sales or anything for Bette? Just Saturday?

BWAY Baby2 said: "this is pure entertainment without much depth at all."

Calling something pure entertainment is hardly damning.

But it does make one wonder, how many times will you not like Dolly before you stop seeing it? You barely enjoyed the movie, had marginal fun with Channing, and only like Bette when she's eating? Maybe stop trying to like this show? I mean, put on your Sunday clothes, there's lots of shows out there...

Well, I had to see Bette as Dolly- would not have seen it without Bette- and to be honest- would actually see it again because I love Bernadette- I do not love the play- and really do not love the music- but when Bette- or Bernadette- or a few others -Audra to name another one- is performing- I just have to see it. You know what I saw recently that I LOVED- Iceman Cometh- I love drama and depth- loved My Fair Lady, too. And walked out of The Play That Goes Wrong in London- after fifteen minutes- would have left sooner but my brother wanted to give it a bit more time.

Updated On: 4/25/18 at 12:48 PM

BWAY Baby2 said: "You know what I saw recently that I LOVED- Iceman Cometh- I love drama and depth- loved My Fair Lady, too. And walked out of The Play That Goes Wrong"

If you like depth, this seems like something you could have sorted out well in advance. Hmm, a comedic farce... maybe it will have a lot of depth and existential touches woven in?

I like quality musicals whether they be lighter fare or more deep thought-provoking productions. For instance, I saw six shows in November and my favorite two shows were Hello, Dolly! (with Bette) and The Band’s Visit. I was in NYC for just a few hours in February and saw Hello, Dolly! again with Bernadette and loved it all over again. That being said, I’m going to NYC in June and feel no need to revisit Dolly. I’d likely feel that way even if I was there after Bette returns to the show. Nothing against Bette or Dolly, but when I only get to NYC one to three times a year, I have to prioritize seeing newer productions over shows I’ve already seen. Now if Audra had been the new Dolly, I’d been all over that! Once again in June I’m seeing a variety of (eight, hopefully) productions ranging from the deep (Angels in America, Three Tall Women) to the silly (Spongebob) and shows somewhere in between (My Fair Lady).

still curious what Bette's schedule will be once she returns and if she'll have an alternate again.

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DAME said: "Light and funny . Perfect for now . And I love my shows in all types of genre . Just as long as they are good ."

haterobics said: "Calling something pure entertainment is hardly damning."

BuddyStarr said: "HD is pure escapism theatre and sometimes it's welcoming when the outside world is all TOO real."

Well said. I’ve only seen 15 shows since Jan. 2017 (and have 4 booked in the next 3 months). And I’ve already seen shows with depth and meaning, cried at the heartache and humanity being portrayed on stage, where I walked away reflecting on my own life and contemplated the meaning of life, why the world is the way it is, and shows that make me want to be a better human.

Occasionally I want escapism theatre. Pure entertainment, light and funny, without much depth. To sit there and not have to think. Just enjoy the show. And I plan to do just that. “Hello, Dolly!” here I come!!!

Updated On: 4/25/18 at 08:26 PM

Im curious when the tickets will go onsale. I read the 28th in multiple articles about Bette's return, but when I called Telecharge to see if they knew what time or pricing, all the rep would say is that "we can not confrirm an onsale date". Im hoping that the particular rep i spoke with was simply incompetent and i can get a clearer answer when i call back tomorrow, otherwise Im just gong to have to swing by the box office

Relevance81491 said: "Im curious when the tickets will go onsale. I read the 28th in multiplearticles about Bette's return, but when I called Telecharge to see if they knew what time or pricing, all the rep would say is that "we can not confrirm an onsale date". Im hoping that the particular rep i spoke with was simplyincompetent andi can get a cleareranswer when i call back tomorrow, otherwise Im just gong to have to swing by the box office"

Everyone knows what was in the press release and nothing more:

"Tickets for Ms. Midler's return go on sale Saturday, April 28 at 10:00 AM ET and can be purchased online at HelloDollyOnBroadway.com, via Telecharge.com or at 212 239 6200, or in person at the Shubert Theatre box office (225 West 44th Street)."

Anything you want to know beyond that is not yet known.

Relevance81491 said: "When I called before Bette's original onsale, the rep gave me the onsale day/time and price breakdown by seat section and it really helped me out when it was time to actually purchase tickets (sounds silly, I know, but I like to have as much information as possible heading into a major on sale such as this)"

Yes, but there has been no evidence from anyone that they know or have any of that info in advance this time. We all want it, but no one has it. Since Telecharge's official website has no info that tickets will be available after Bernadette's run, or that Bette is returning, that is all they know at this time.