I could easily be wrong about this, because what do I know? But I don't understand the logic of Hello, Dolly "needing" a star to tour.
Tour audiences just don't usually think in terms of stars. They think in terms of shows. They've heard of the show, or the Broadway production, and they want to see something close to that on tour. But they're not expecting to see Bette Midler. I mean, they'd be happy to see Bette Midler, but they don't expect her.
The King and I toured very well, packed the house on its San Francisco tour stop that I saw. Was anyone coming to see Laura Michelle Kelly or Jose Llana? No. They did a good job, but people were coming to see The King and I.
Same thing with Fun Home. I liked that touring cast very much, but that wasn't what was drawing the crowds in San Francisco.
The same logic applies to Hello, Dolly. On Broadway, fine, you need a star - especially for that role. Bernadette Peters and Donna Murphy, with all their Tonys, elicit yawns. But on tour, you just need a good production of Hello, Dolly.