Little Lark of London

“Dolly will never go away”

There is nothing as glorious as hearing an overture with a strong orchestra, and that is exactly how, to my delight, Hello, Dolly! begins. Imelda Staunton stars as Dolly Levi, the matchmaker of New York who, after losing her husband, is now going back out into the world to help those around her find love. With a book by Michael Stewart, music and lyrics by Jerry Herman and new arrangements from Nicholas Skilbeck, director Dominic Cooke is given the best of the best to work with. As Dolly says in the show, “Just leave everything to me,” and indeed, the show is made by Staunton’s performance. 

One of the best aspects of this revival is how it truly feels like a classic musical, something that is not often seen on the West End. This is not to say that new works don’t deserve their time in the spotlight, but there is truly nothing like the chills you get while watching the train come out in “Put On Your Sunday Clothes” and the ensemble is singing their hearts out while the music blares. Indeed, this number, led by Harry Hepple as Cornelius Hackl and Tyrone Huntley as Barnaby Tucker is quite possibly the best moment in the show and I was quite tempted to give the number alone a standing ovation. 

An unexpected highlight of the show? The treadmill-like pavement the performers use to travel around New York, a delightful surprise by set and costume designer Rae Smith. When the train is chugging off the stage, the onlookers stand on the moving stage, making the train appear to go even faster. The use of this part of the stage during the song “Elegance” is lovely and only adds to the spectacular performance by Emily Langham as Minnie Fay.

The comedic timing in the show is spectacular, particularly from Staunton, and I quickly find myself falling in love with her interpretation of Dolly Levi. I found myself laughing more than I expected each time Dolly pulls out another plot-related business card, a running joke throughout the show. The duo of Cornelius and Barnaby is also delightful, particular Baraby’s obsession with Barnum’s stuffed whale. Another comedic highlight is Emily Langham as Ermengarde, who appears to be losing her mind throughout the show, sobbing hysterically as she follows Ambrose Kemper (the lovely Michael Lin) around New York. 

But, along with all of the comedy, there are more emotional moments that shine throughout the show. Watching Staunton slowly descend the stairs of the Harmonia Gardens in “Hello, Dolly!” is a beautiful moment and I found myself holding back tears as Dolly sings, “Dolly’ll never go away again.” Indeed, Staunton is brilliant in both comedy and tragedy, able to express Dolly’s grief in songs like “Before the Parade Passes By” and her pride in others like “So Long Dearie.” Characters like Horace Vandergelder (Andy Nyman) and Irene Molloy (Jenna Russell) may not have as many comedic moments are the others on stage, but they certainly hold their own, with Russell shining in “Ribbons Down My Back” and Nyman having some great banter with Staunton as the soon-to-be couple bicker throughout the show. 

There are a few aspects of the show that keep it from being a five-star production. During the songs, it is sometimes difficult to hear Staunton over the orchestra. I also found the choreography (Bill Deamer) to be a bit out of sync and, at times, a bit too modern for the classic musical.  The video projections used for many of the backgrounds (designed by Finn Ross) tend to get distracting, pulling one away from the action on stage. The projections themselves are lovely and a testament to Ross’s skill, but may have been better suited in another musical.

Ultimately, Hello, Dolly! is a joyful and classic musical that gives Staunton and the rest of the cast the chance to shine. In a time full of darkness and struggles, it can be hard to find happy moments, but Hello, Dolly! gives one over two hours of magic on stage. “The world is full of wonderful things,” and the existence of this revival is certainly one of them!

Hello, Dolly! ran until 14 September at the London Palladium. More information on the run can be found here.

Photo Credit: Manuel Harlan