“HELLO, DOLLY!” with Bernadette Peters (spoilers ahead)
My seat was front row center mezzanine A104. With the exception of a tiny bit of height on the balcony wall in front of me that blocked the very front of the passerelle, which really was never an issue, the view was absolutely perfect. Leg room was a little cramped but enough where I could be comfortable.
I absolutely loved, loved, LOVED this show, from opening Overture until that stunning red curtain closed at the end. And then it got even better with the final high-flying dance and cast bows, and everyone singing “Hello, Dolly!” once again. As the audience had done several times that night, they went nuts when Bernadette came out for her curtain call to the biggest, roaring cheer and applause I have ever heard. Only second to that was when she first showed up from behind that newspaper on the “horse”-drawn trolly. It was nearly deafening. In a good way. Even she had to pause her lines until it ended. It was a moment I’ll never forget.
Bernadette played the role of Dolly Levi with such passion, that at those times she was speaking to her dearly departed husband Ephraim, you felt like you were listening in on a private conversation. And the next to last time she talked to Ephraim your heart broke when she asked him to “let me go” so that she could marry Horace. I had a lump so big in my throat I thought I was going to ball like a baby.
The absolute highlight of the show, and there were quite a few, was the jaw dropping, extraordinary song “Put on Your Sunday Clothes”. Nothing was more beautiful, colorful, amazing, and sung so marvelous as this. All those soaring voices, all that grand music, together reaching an incredible fever pitch of perfection. It was breathtaking.
Next in the line of the “visually impressive” was the Harmonia Gardens set. All that luxurious, sumptuous RED. The only problem I had with this entire “scene” was that I thought The “Waiters’ Gallop” went on a bit tooooo long. It got repetitive and I personally thought it could be shortened.
And finally, the 14th Street Parade ensemble. This was just amazing.
But Dolly’s Harmonia Gardens “entrance”, and that eye-catching dress, necklace, and headpiece...just WOW! Can she ever glide effortlessly down those stairs, as if ‘floating’ on a cloud of incredible style and elegance.
Favorite songs:
“Before the Parade Passes By” - at the beginning the audience got so quiet it was deafening, and my heart wanted to reach out to Dolly and tell her it’s not too late, that you could feel how lonely she had really been, and by the end of the song how determined she was to get back out there and truly enjoy life.
When Kate Baldwin sang “Ribbons Down My Back”. God, can this woman sing like an angel.
And of course, the Harmonia Gardens rendition of “Hello, Dolly!” - a timeless classic.
The remaining songs were all wonderful, but those three stuck out the most.
One thing I did notice was that in “I Put My Hand In” (on the street outside the station) the street lamps did NOT pop up from the stage. And I was watching for them.
And most annoying were Ermengarde’s crying squeals. They actually hurt my ears due to a sensitivity to high pitched noises. When Dolly stuffed that scarf into her mouth... Thank you for that.
Bernadette’s incredible comedic timing throughout the show, and especially in the scenes where she is eating with Horace in the restaurant and again when it changes to the courthouse, made me laugh so hard I had tears in my eyes. There were several times when even Victor Garber would crack up, and the audience would just lose it! And Bernadette just kept going. The scooping up of the dumplings part of that scene was just over-the-top hilarious. And when it transitioned to the courthouse scene where she is stuffing her mouth and drinking the gravy was just hysterically priceless beyond words.
Favorite actor/actress other than Bernadette Peters was Charlie Stemp. This guy is amazing, and a smile that you can see for miles. And man can he dance!
The theater has no elevator, and there’s souvenir stands on the main level behind the orchestra seats, the top of the mezzanine level house-right, and in the basement next to the men’s restroom. Bathrooms are small, but the line seemed to go quickly.
I don’t think my heart has ever been as full of unmitigated, pure joy as when I walked out of the Shubert Theater. This show is total perfection, a one-of-a-kind style of entertainment without peer from start to finish.
As I described it before, the one word for this show is FABULOUS. And I’m honored to have been a witness to this historical run.
Updated On: 6/1/18 at 06:43 PM
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