Chicago Tribune

Chris Jones

December 27, 2010

This 'Dolly' hits all the high notes

To do justice to Dolly Gallagher Levi, that ever-optimistic "meddler in life," you've really got to have a hunger for the gal. I suspect Mary Robin Roth -- one of Chicago's premiere musical-comedy artists and an actress who has done so many versions of "Nunsense," I half expected her Dolly to come out in a habit -- was determined to play this role in her hometown before the proverbial parade passed her by.

Good for her. She surely embraces every outrageous costume, outre wig, truism, business card and, indeed, every last theatrical moment. Thus, she propels the joyous spirit of Rudy Hogenmiller's wholly entertaining and clearly crowd-pleasing Light Opera Works production. This is a role that risks a dizzyingly intimidating collection of comparatives on both the vocal and comedic fronts. You might say that Roth is a very respectable all-rounder, and one who hits a home run when it comes to that crucial intangible of active, passionate joy.

And what matters more than that? The source material for this justly beloved musical, Thornton Wilder's "The Matchmaker," might be wry and a tad sardonic, but Jerry Herman's incredible score is, at its heart, no less than a celebration of the active approach to our time on this earth. "I put my hand in," Dolly sings, in what you might call the ubertext of her exuberant yarn of matches made, unmade, remade.

I was struck again, on the afternoon after Christmas, how much Herman repeats that theme throughout his work. Stephen Sondheim may be the prophet of existential nuance, but on a cold December day there's perhaps more to be gained from hearing Herman's remarkable musical certitude about how everything is going to be fine, and regret-free, if we just make our own matches. Take this lyric: "And we'll recall when time runs out/ That it only took a moment/To be loved a whole life long." Now that's the way to go. Happy. Loved.

You would not call this a progressive or overly textured "Dolly" -- the humor is very broad throughout, sometimes needlessly cartoonish. Then again, if you saw some of those later Carol Channing bus-and-truck tours of this title, you'll feel as if you're watching "War and Peace." You also wouldn't call this a scenic extravaganza (aside from Emily Nelson's dizzying array of Dolly gowns). That's not where the money goes at this Evanston company known for its full orchestrations. And you don't feel so much of a match between Dolly and Peter Verdico's gruff Horace Vandergelder, that famous half-millionaire. But you can live with that. It is, after all, a romance born in Dolly's head of more practical matters.

The strengths of Hogenmiller's production lies in its energy, optimism and choreography. Even though he's not working with Broadway dancers in a non-union company that has traditionally focused on the singing, he really works some marvels here with some young dancers doing the famous "Waiters' Galop," which is richly detailed and great fun. And Hogenmiller's chirpy staging of "Before the Parade Passes By" had enough exuberance to set the initially reticent crowd at Cahn Auditorium genuinely buzzing at intermission.

Along with a snappy turn from Danielle Plisz as perky Minnie Fay, there's also a very honest and engaging vocal performance from Robert Brady (as Cornelius) to enjoy. Brady is matched by Patrick Tierney's Barnaby. Tierney is blossoming into a fine musical-comedy man; he's rather like a young version of the late, great actor Guy Adkins.

Herman also wrote "Pressure with the thumbs/Matrimony comes," but we know he didn't really mean that. Dolly is the matchmaker, we're told, that the spinsters recommend. Her show this week will have even a wider constituency of advocates.

Chicago Sun-Times

Andrew Patner

December 29, 2010

An enlightened 'Dolly' from Light Opera Works

RECOMMENDED

Officially, Hello, Dolly! is composer-lyricist Jerry Herman and book writer Michael Stewart’s 1964 musical adaptation of Thornton Wilder’s 1954 play The Matchmaker.

Historically, though, the show is director-choreographer Gower Champion and legendary producer David Merrick’s fusion of stage spectacle and a series of star turns, from the title role’s creator, Carol Channing, through Mary Martin, Betty Grable, Pearl Bailey (with Cab Calloway heading a famous all-black cast) and others, to the originally intended lead Ethel Merman closing the show’s seven-year Broadway run at the end of 1970. (The 1969 film version with the famously miscast Barbra Streisand can be left for another day.)

So what happens when Light Opera Works -- a non-Equity company that works with a limited budget, focuses on original scores in full (including offering the luxury of a professional, 22-piece union orchestra), and is not about to bring in today’s Channing or Merman -- even if she existed -- takes up this relatively thin work?

Good and joyous things, as it turns out. The company’s artistic director, Rudy Hogenmiller, both directs and choreographs his 30-member cast with a “we can do it” feel, and conductor Roger L. Bingaman and his orchestra bring out the musical pleasures of such numbers as “Put on Your Sunday Clothes,” “Ribbons Down My Back,” “Dancing,” and “Elegance” that show Herman working on a subtler and more serious level than in the show’s anthem “Before the Parade Passes By” and its big title number (a hit, thanks to Louis Armstrong’s recording, even before the Broadway show opened).

The Evanston production also benefits from its age-appropriate leads: Chicago-area (Equity) veteran Mary Robin Roth as “Mrs. Dolly Levi, born Gallagher,” the turn-of-the-last-century purveyor of “social introductions,” and company stalwart Peter Verdico as the “rich, friendless, and mean” Yonkers “half-a-millionaire” feed-and-grain man Horace Vandergelder, with whom the long-widowed Dolly has decided to make a match for herself.

Roth is more Merman than Channing, especially as the show’s silly but inevitable plot unfolds, and that’s just fine when she hits her stride about two-thirds into the first act. From then on we’re ready for her to carry us anywhere with her merry blend of goofiness, schmaltz, and feel-good philosophizing.

Robert Brady is a bighearted Cornelius Hackl, the romantic store clerk, and Patrick Tierney as his sidekick Barnaby Tucker has a breakout turn eerily reminiscent at times of the late brilliant Chicago actor Guy Adkins early in his career. Jessye Wright is a fine Mrs. Irene Molloy and shows a beautiful voice in “Ribbons.” Danielle Plisz, Diane Mair, and Yvonne Strumecki nicely round out the 1890s ladies.

Roth’s eye-popping costumes were created by Rafael Colon Castanera for her earlier outing in the role at Arkansas Repertory Theatre. Emily Nelson does a remarkable job of matching them for her large cast, and with them Tom Burch’s backdrops give a gentle feel of Old New York.

Pioneer Press

December 28, 2010

Dorothy Andries

Bravura Dolly heads a play of life and laughs

Light Opera Works is presenting Jerry Herman's "Hello, Dolly!" at Cahn Auditorium in Evanston through Jan. 2 and do they have a Dolly for you!

Mary Robin Roth portrays the unflappable Dolly Gallagher Levi as if the character had been written for her. A bravura singer, she kicks up her heels with the male chorus line and fast-talks her way out of every twist and turn in this mad-cap musical, which won 10 Tony Awards after it exploded onto Broadway back in 1964.

The role requires a good-natured, force-of-nature woman, and Roth is all that and more. She is a handsome woman, and her incandescent smile illuminates the stage. She aces the deeply personal "Before the Parade Passes By," singing it first as a touching meditation and then as an inspiring anthem.

Yet for all that, she lets the characters around her shine as well, making the entire production bright with life and laughter.

Dolly is a widow earning a living as a matchmaker, and one of her clients is the bachelor Horace Vandergelder, a well-off merchant from Yonkers, New York, who is seeking a wife. Peter Verdico does a good job as the tyrannical businessman who finds his original plans thwarted by the redoubtable Dolly, who realizes she actually wants to marry him herself.

The amusing story is based on Thornton Wilder's play "The Matchmaker," and two of the most comical characters are Vandergelder's employees, Cornelius Hackl, who at 33 years of age has never kissed a girl, played by Robert Brady, and Barnaby Tucker, who at 17 is in no hurry to do so, played by Patrick Tierney. When their boss goes to New York City, however, they take a day off and head for the bright lights of the big city as well, only to find themselves hiding in a closet and under a table in a scene straight from a French farce.

Vandergelder is set to be matched with the widow Mrs. Irene Molloy, who runs a ladies' hat shop in New York City. In the hands of the beautiful Jessye Wright, the milliner is as flirty as a schoolgirl and far too adventurous for the stuffy Vandergelder. Wright has an operatic voice, which does not match the rest of the Broadway-style singers. However, her gorgeous rendition of "Ribbons Down My Back," was a highlight of show's afternoon opening on Dec. 26. (Does anyone besides me think that "Ribbons" sounds faintly like one of Sondheim's narrative ballads?)

The production, designed by Tom Burch, is a dream, moving gracefully from Yonkers to the sidewalks of New York, the millinery shop and Harmonia Gardens, the site of the show-stopping title tune. Rudy Hogenmiller directs and choreographs this show, which was originally directed and choreographed by the well-known dancer Gower Champion.

Suffice it to say that Hogenmiller has made every dance number is a marvel of style and grace. The "Waiters' Galop" is a front-of-the-house triumph and leads up to Roth's dramatic entrance down the grand staircase at Harmonic Gardens.

The action takes place around the turn of the 20th century, when women wore long skirts and attire was especially elaborate. Emily Nelson has created numerous splendid, even sumptuous costumes for Dolly, complete with hats and feathers and concluding with a marvelous an all-white suit for her wedding to Vandergelder.

The dancers too are well dressed. In the opening scene they wear hues of beige and brown, tan and taupe, but by the next they are in electric blue, aqua, green, yellow, pink, and that's only the men!

Light Opera Works is blest with a 22-piece orchestra, under the baton of Roger Bingaman, which gives luster and depth to all the musical numbers.

Mary Robin Roth is a fabulous and formidable Dolly Gallagher Levi. Say hello to her as soon as you can.

Around the Town

Alan Bresloff

December 27, 2010

Highly Recommended

Classical musical theater (and light opera/operetta) is always a treat, in particular when the troupe presenting it is one that pays attention to details and finds the right people to bring the roles to life. Light Opera Works is such an organization, bringing classics to their stage in Evanston that allow us to enjoy the old fashioned musical the way it was meant to be done. “Hello Dolly!”, a wonderful musical based on Thornton Wilder’s “The Matchmaker”, with a book by Michael Stewart and music and lyrics by Jerry Herman, is being staged at Cahn Auditorium in Evanston as the “big” production to end their 2010 season. Under the direction and choreography of Rudy Hogenmiller, this is truly an opportunity for an audience member to see a classic done to perfection. The large dance numbers are superb and Hogenmiller never allows the limitations of the smaller stage to handicap his creative flow or the talents of his cast.

Of course, to truly get to the heart of “Dolly”, a story about a matchmaker in Yonkers during the 1890′s, who is hired to find a mate for the almost wealthy Horace Vandergelder (a marvelous portrayal by Peter Verdico) and takes us on a journey to make that match herself, a production needs a strong Dolly. Many recall the original being played by Carol Channing and the movie version featuring Barbra Streisand, so the bar has been raised very high -- Light Opera Works has found Mary Robin Roth to take on this task and her portrayal of this famous character exceeded my expectations two-fold; she is terrific! Let’s make that with a capital T = TERRIFIC!!! (in fact every letter in caps as she truly makes this role her own and from her very first appearance, each and every audience member loved her). Just watching her work is worth the price of the ticket, and Verdico’s Horace is as solid as they come.

Dolly and Horace cannot do it alone, of course, and so I am happy to say that the secondary players and the ensemble all reach great heights in making this a fun and entertaining experience for young and old alike. Horace has two workers in his feed shop, Cornelius Hackl (Robert Brady) and Barnaby Tucker (delightfully played by Patrick Tierney), who take on a visit to New York as an adventure where they vow they will never leave until they kiss a girl -- they do meet the girls and grow up as well. The two women, Irene Molloy (deftly handled by Jessye Wright, who has a powerful voice) and her assistant Minnie Fay (the adorable Danielle Plisz) and by the time all the adventures are over, there is a happy ending for each of our characters. In the old musicals, there were always happy endings.

Musical theater, in particular the old classics, rely on the ensemble to make all the loose ends fit and this being a show that might be called a choreographer’s dream, they should be applauded and lauded for their work. The male ensemble members work just a bit harder with their big dance numbers of “Hello Dolly” and “The Waiters’ Galop” as well as company numbers: Bobby Johnson, Mark Kosten, Jonathan Kwock, Ben Mason, Mark LeBeau, Jr., Daniel Spagnuolo, Keith Richards, Bryan Conner, Peter Durkin, Marshall Back and Brendan J. Foley -- great job guys! Of course the women ensemble members all did a wonderful job, but this is a male ensemble show with many more numbers geared for the male chorus, so let’s give them the credit for the wonderful work they did.

Great music, a fun story, marvelous acting, singing and dancing -- isn’t this what you hope for when attending the musical theater? Light Opera Works, in their main stage productions, just to make sure that the music sounds as it was written to be played uses a full orchestra under the direction of Roger L. Bingaman and Tom Burch has added a simple but dazzling set to add to the brilliant costumes by Emily Nelson and her staff and the lights (Charles Jolls) and sound (Miles Polaski). The only problem with a production such as this is that the budget only allows for a limited run, so if you want to capture the rapture of this experience, you only have until January 2.

Chicago Critic

Tom Williams

December 27, 2010

She's back where she belongs!

It is fitting that 2010 ends with a marvelous production Jerry Herman’s 1964 pure Americana musical Hello, Dolly! In the hands of the creatives at Light Opera Works, with their 22-person orchestra under conductor Roger L. Bingaman and the attention to details by director/choreographer Rudy Hogenmiller, Hello Dolly! is a tuneful old chestnut that still endures. It is so refreshing to see the full version sans cuts with the complete cast of dancers to bring home Gower Champion’s original choreography nicely recreated by Hogenmiller.

Jerry Herman’s bouncy, gay 90′s toe-tapping music is filled with memorable take-home songs that you’ll be humming for days. Herman mixes marches, anthems, waltzes with powerful ballads and lively show tunes that evoke both the era and the spirit of adventure as the characters seek love and fun in NYC circa 1890.

We meet Dolly Levi (Mary Robin Roth), a middle-aged widow and irrepressible matchmaker who “meddles” with everyone as she focuses on arranging a marriage for the tightfisted half-millionaire Horace Vandergelder (Peter Verdico). Dolly has the perfect mate in mind -- herself.

In order for her plan to work, Dolly must help Horace’s niece get married, thwart Horace’s interest in Irene Molloy that leads to her aiding two naive small townees, Cornelius Hackl (Robert Brady) and Barnaby Tucker (Patrick Tierney) to “find adventure in the evening air” as all leave Yonkers for a night out in NYC.

The hilarious plot is anchored by Mary Robin Roth’s Dolly Levi. She exudes a charismatic and commanding persona deftly played with brisk charm and swift humor. Roth is lovable, in charge and hilarious as the mischievous matchmaker. Roth’s throaty vocals and impeccable comic timing is quickly established in her opening “I Put My Hand In.” That opening number takes us into her world of enterprise as all seek love and fun.

We meet Horace, the money-hoarding and lonely bachelor who explains to Cornelius and Barnaby that he needs a wife not for love but to do the household chores. After Horace leaves for NYC, Cornelius and Barnaby decide to go to NYC and they will “not come home until they’ve kissed a girl.” The resulting showstopper, “Put On Your Sunday Clothes,” is the promise of fun and romance in the big city.

The girls in the hat shop, Irene (Jessye Wright) and Minnie Fay (Danielle Pilsz) seek a soul mate to love. They instantly appreciate Cornelius and Barnaby who were enticed by Dolly to meet at the hat shop. In a hilarious scene, Dolly ends up getting Horace to lose interest in Irene as well as getting Cornelius and Barnaby together with the girls and setting up her ultimate action. The act ends with Dolly’s promise to herself in the haunting “Before the Parade Passes By.”

Act Two finds the young couples courting as they walk with “Elegance” to the Harmonia Gardens Restaurant for dinner. The “Waiters’ Galop” is a marvelous energetic, athletic and funny manic dance number. The 12 men navigate the stage in an ode to all food servers. When Dolly Levi arrives at the restaurant she is greeted by the waiters in the memorable “Hello Dolly” anthem. The goofy plot evolves and all get what they want as the feel-good show satisfies all. The romantic “It Only Takes Moment” sums up the feelings of all.

What makes this production stand out are two major elements -- the fabulous, heartfelt and commanding work from Mary Robin Roth as Dolly. She plays Dolly with guile, charm and humor and loads of heart. Her vocals and comic chops rule the show. Roth is a wonderfully truthful Dolly. This Dolly is a winner!

The second element that shines here is the expert dancing and the respectful choreography. Rudy Hogenmiller’s dancers flawlessly nail each movement and each step with precession. You’d be hard pressed to see finer showstoppers than Hello, Dolly! provides.

It is important that every five years or so, someone mounts a full-scale production of classic show such as Hello, Dolly! so the next generation can marvel at these works of art. Kudos to Light Opera Works for doing this cultural service. Come enjoy a fun family-friendly vintage Broadway musical. You’ll be humming “It So Nice To Have You Back Where You Belong.”