Hello Dolly Tour - Sally Struthers

Santa Barbara and Toledo have apparently been announced, per Theater League's site. (Here's Toledo, but mouse-over the links at the top for Santa Barbara).

http://theaterleague.com/toledo/2013-14-season/

Looks like this tour is hitting the smaller markets only. Haven't seen it included in the lineup of any major cities.

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Updated On: 3/20/13 at 08:45 AM

Sally Struthers played a supporting role in NINE TO FIVE at the Gateway Playhouse last summer. She was beyond horrendous: lewd, vile and disgusting. I'd loved her in the female ODD COUPLE but after NINE TO FIVE I have no desire to see her perform again. (Yes, it was that bad!)

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...or Loretta Swit in MISS SAIGON

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I saw Struthers a few years ago as Miss Hannigan in a regional production of ANNIE and she was very good. She had great comedic timing and a very decent singing voice. I liked her better than Katie Finneran in the recent revival.

She has played Dolly before, most recently in Ogunquit, Maine. Her reviews were pretty good:

"The Ogunquit Playhouse comes through with a production of Hello, Dolly! that is just about perfect. Hello, Dolly! is a fun (I had forgotten how much fun), upbeat show with an uplifting message, and it's even more fun with Sally Struthers as Dolly. We've known she was a comic genius since that lima bean scene in "All In The Family," and her interpretation of Dolly is both original and hysterically funny. Her delivery makes every line a keeper. Some lines take on new meanings that are even funnier than they ought to be. It's the perfect performance, and let's just say the movie would have been better had Barbra Streisand taken a few pointers from Ms. Struthers."

"Whether winking at the chorus boys, breaking up with the actor playing Vandergelder, or working the front rows as she trots around the runway, Struthers clearly knows the way to the audiences’ heart is to be herself; and her outsized personality proves to be a key ingredient in this summer stock production’s success.
She seems tentative early-on: her smile seemed fixed and her physical movement awkward; but as the show progressed she became more comfortable, waiting until the end of the first act when she belts Before the Parade Passes By, her anthem of self-empowerment, to show off her vocal prowess. Her voice, though not a beautiful instrument, is attractive and strong; and she approaches the role with some conviction (in much the same way that Carol Channing did before her.) There are moments when she recalls Mae West, at others Carol Burnett; yet throughout she deftly shades Wilder’s meddling matchmaker with her own personal quirks. She plays off her kewpie-doll looks and her television persona (too many in the audience she always be Gloria in All In The Family) to her advantage; and, with her solid belt, carries the show."

I did Hello, Dolly! With her in Ogunquit and she was wonderful in the role and the audiences loved her.

If all you are going to do is bitch about something that isn't even in rehearsals yet, then go ahead and waste your time.

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And, I watched her get food stuck in her throat during the dinner scene, but she didn't act bothered at all. She simply walked off stage right and motioned to the stage manager that she was choking, and turned her back to him. He gave her the Heimlich maneuver and she walked right back out on stage and finished the show.

She is a true pro and if anyone want to make jokes about her, you are going to have to go through me first.

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She was playing the office drunk.


I'm sure she was 'lewd and vile' because that's what the character asks for.

She is none of those things in real life.

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TheatreDiva,

I'm doing "Full Monty" with her currently in Fredericksburg, and she is an absolute treasure. She is absolutely hilarious as Jeanette! Sally is an extremely lovely woman!

Whoops, maybe it's Roz... I always get them mixed up!

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I would assume it would have been Roz then. The drunk is really more of an ensemble bit role.

At any rate, I'll add in to those who have always found her to be a delight, though I've only had a few casual run-ins with her. However, like most others here, everyone I know who has worked with Sally has loved her. There's a reason she continues to be brought back to these regional companies year after year, and a huge part of that is her attitude and work ethic which make her a reported joy to work with.

This tour was just announced for the University of Akron's Broadway series lineup. January 9-10, 2014 in Akron, Ohio.

Sally is confirmed for the tour, according to their press blurb:

Winner of TEN TONY AWARDS, including Best Musical, HELLO DOLLY! is the second show in our season line-up, coming to the EJ Thomas Hall, Jan. 9-10th, 2014. Emmy-award winner Sally Struthers stars as the strong-willed matchmaker Dolly, as she travels to Yonkers, NY to find a match for the ornery “half-a-millionaire” Horace Vandergelder. HELLO DOLLY is one of the most enduring Broadway classics, charming audiences for nearly 50 years! How can you resist this irresistible story, including unforgettable songs, “Put On Your Sunday Clothes,” “It Only Takes A Moment,” and the show-stopping “Before The Parade Passes By”.

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I saw her as Dolly several years ago at a community theater in Bloomington MN where a close friend of hers was artistic director at the time. As an audience member I quite enjoyed the performance. Surrounded by high school students and other non-professionals (albeit several with theater degrees) she never came across as any kind of diva. She seemed like an incredibly generous performer who let others take the spotlight and was genuinely proud to be performing with them. Attitudes like that really translate to an audience.