Posted: 5/21/25 at 12:57pm
Wow, what a CAST!
https://playbill.com/article/j-harrison-ghee-beth-leavel-santino-fontana-katie-finneran-more-set-for-hello-dolly-at-carnegie-hall
Updated On: 5/21/25 at 12:57 PM
Posted: 5/21/25 at 1:00pm
An incredibly stacked cast. I hope Kate Baldwin will be reprising her gorgeous "Ribbons Down My Back" for this.
Posted: 5/21/25 at 2:47pm
Great cast - can’t wait, despite director. The cast, 30 piece orchestra, vocals and some original choreography should be winning!
Posted: 5/21/25 at 3:57pm
Kad said: "An incredibly stacked cast. I hope Kate Baldwin will be reprising her gorgeous "Ribbons Down My Back" for this."
I think Nikki Renee Daniels might be singing that song based from her instagram stories today. I was secretly hoping to hear Lea Salonga sing that song.
I wonder who will be Dolly! Do you think they'll wait to announce it?
Posted: 5/21/25 at 3:58pm
Wick3 said: "Kad said: "An incredibly stacked cast. I hope Kate Baldwin will be reprising her gorgeous "Ribbons Down My Back" for this."
I think Nikki Renee Daniels might be singing that song based from her instagram stories today. I was secretly hoping to hear Lea Salonga sing that song.
I wonder who will be Dolly! Do you think they'll wait to announce it?"
There won't be a single Dolly: "This concert series features a different lineup of performers for each song, rather than a role portrayed by one actor for the entire evening."
Posted: 5/21/25 at 4:05pm
It's a real throwback to the days of Actor's Fund benefit galas like Pippin and Funny Girl, which did the same rotating-cast thing... not to mention their most famous benefit revusical, Hair with Seth Rudetsky's orchestra. It's not my favorite Hair recording front to back, but the expanded orchestrations are perfect and some of the tracks are the best versions of that individual song.
Fun (or not so fun) fact: most of those expanded orchestrations were improvised or learned by ear. People try constantly to get those charts for their own production of Hair, since the Concord books are very rudimentary, but they sadly don't exist on paper.
Posted: 5/22/25 at 9:33am
This doesn’t excite me as much as FOLLIES. Maybe because the Rudin production is so burned into my memory and the overall lushness can’t be replicated in a concert, or maybe it’s because I was tipped off about this a while back and have had a month+ to ponder who might be their Dollys, or maybe it’s because I find Lee Roy Reams to be rather grating on stage.
It’s ambitious to announce it a mere month in advance, with top prices double that of FOLLIES.
(but I’m also away that night so can’t even go…hope those who do go have a blissful evening!)
Updated On: 5/22/25 at 09:33 AM
Posted: 5/22/25 at 10:34am
It’s selling quite well considering the official announcement was only yesterday. There may be more names to come. …
Posted: 5/26/25 at 6:15pm
Looks like some prices have been reduced a bit. I bought the seat next to me today for a friend and it was $40 less than what I paid for mine.
Updated On: 6/14/25 at 06:15 PM
Posted: 6/14/25 at 8:01am
I was so looking forward to this celebration of Hello Dolly! Based on the amazing lineup of talent, I purchased tickets on the day they went on sale. I was happy with the additions announced since then. Until yesterday! It was announced that Frank DiLella would be a co-host. Am I the only one who finds him smarmy and as irritating as fingernails on a chalkboard? Honestly, if he was initially announced as a participant, I would not have decided to attend. I can only hope that his participation will be minimal or that in the next week or so, he will back out. And having recently watched an episode of his NY1 show, someone needs to tell him to wear socks!
Posted: 6/14/25 at 6:39pm
If the concert is like last year's Follies, the Co-Hosts basically just fill in the storyline between songs and sometimes offered brief insights about the making of the musical. I have a feeling DiLella's main job will be keeping Lee Roy Reams on a short leash so he doesn't start bounding from one tangent to another.
Posted: 6/24/25 at 10:00pm
Any update from attendees? Setlist? Anthing?
Posted: 6/24/25 at 10:22pm
Jennifer Simard stole the show! 
Posted: 6/24/25 at 10:46pm
If Jennifer is in a show, she will be stealing it!
Posted: 6/24/25 at 10:50pm
Robbie2 said: "Jennifer Simard stole the show!"
You misspelled Marilyn Maye.
Posted: 6/24/25 at 11:40pm
TaffyDavenport said: "Robbie2 said: "Jennifer Simard stole the show!"
You misspelled Marilyn Maye."
Her too!
Posted: 6/25/25 at 8:48am
I had a great time! The show was really good, but for me the highlight was the introduction to someone who was a surprise guest. When they introduced Sondra Lee I literally gasped OH MY GOD!
Even though she's the only living (she's 96) cast member from the OG Hello Dolly, I will always think of her as Tiger Lily from the 1960 NBC TV broadcast of Peter Pan starring Mary Martin and Cyril Ritchard. I was born way after that tv show aired, but as a child I would watch it over and over and over on VHS, so to see her LIVE on stage made my night.
She came out to only speak, and she was so overwhelmed that she went on and on and on speaking from the heart.
Posted: 6/25/25 at 10:14am
Jennifer was wonderful, but you could tell she was unsure (called "line" at one point). Following the number, it was pointed out that Beth Leavel was supposed to do the title number but tested positive for Covid. Jennifer stepped in with only 24hrs notice, which made her performance all the more impressive. Took it up the octave at the end!!
It was a lovely evening. I also want to shout out Nikki Renee Daniels (Ribbons), Kate Baldwin (Love, Look in My Window?) and Alysha Umphress who was particularly breathtaking singing Babs' Love Is Only Love.
Still giggling over how many times the sweet Sondra Lee said "I don't want to leave!" Omg yes Tiger Lily!!
Posted: 6/28/25 at 4:19pm
For the ones who attended what were your thoughts on World Take Me Back, sung by Kecia Lewis? i have loved that "cut then readded" song from hearing a youtube bootleg of Ethel Merman singing it.
Posted: 6/28/25 at 5:57pm
Here's a real niche question:
Which Overture did they use?
I recall a playbill photo noting it was arranged by Don Pippin & orchestrated by Larry Blank, so is that the one from the 1994 cast album?
Posted: 6/29/25 at 10:39am
Tex5 said: "I was so looking forward to this celebration of Hello Dolly! Based on the amazing lineup of talent, I purchased tickets on the day they went on sale. I was happy with the additions announced since then. Until yesterday! It was announced that Frank DiLella would be a co-host. Am I the only one...
Not being a NY resident I has no idea who this guy was, so googled. Looked through things he posted, & just curious what exactly his accent is? His imdb bio says born in Philadelphia. Is that a Philly accent?
The no socks with dress shoes thing is a very East Coast style choice I noted during my 2022 Summer visit. It is feeling dated. As is the suits with trousers hemmed way too short. I'm sure he & lots of other guys his age spent a grand each at least on those suits, so they probably don't want to hear that it is time to THROW THEM AWAY!!
Updated On: 6/29/25 at 10:39 AM
Posted: 6/29/25 at 11:07am
Mskuphantm said: "For the ones who attended what were your thoughts on World Take Me Back, sung by Kecia Lewis? i have loved that "cut then readded"song from hearing a youtube bootleg of Ethel Merman singing it."
She sounded wonderful! I think Hello, Dolly! is perfect as is so it felt like an added I want song that isn’t as good as the Oak Leaf Monologue/Before the Parade Passes By. And from their description of the Ethel Merman songs it seems like they just placed them in and called it a day when she joined in 1970.
