Hello Dolly!

The Hall was alive with a buzz of anticipation when I arrived, everyone looking forward to being entertained by this ever-popular show.  It is always difficult to stage something with many scenes on a small stage; but the set had been designed to make the most of the available space. There were areas stage left and stage right in front of the proscenium arch, which at the opening represented Yonkers Station and Grand Central Station; later they were to become the booths in the Harmonia Gardens Restaurant. The wall had been painted to give the glass-domed effect of a railway station, with the roofs of surrounding buildings showing through. It is difficult on a flat stage to have people emerging from a ‘cellar’ but the set had been constructed so that the audience believed the characters were entering and leaving it. The sets represented the various locations but there were one or two slow scene changes; on this stage with a large cast it must be difficult to find the space to reset scenes quickly. The lighting had been designed to show sets and costumes to full effect. On the whole the costumes were appropriate and fitted well but there were one or two issues.

The standard of the dancing in this show was mixed; some of it gave the appearance of being under-rehearsed. The scene when Dolly is teaching everyone to dance was good and the competition in the Harmonia Gardens went well, and I particularly liked ‘Elegance’, it suited the cast and had been well rehearsed.

The role of Dolly is not an easy one, particularly vocally, as it was originally written for Ethel Merman and has a huge vocal range. This Dolly rose to the challenge but there were one or two places she had difficulty. Her portrayal was good as the feisty ‘Jill of all trades’ interfering in everyone’s lives. The whole cast entered into the spirit of the show and showed that they had worked hard on their roles producing some interesting characterisation. Vandergelder was suitably irascible, and showed both the penny -pinching and softer side of his nature. Mrs Molloy gave a confident portrayal and sang well, especially the lovely ‘Ribbons Down My Back’, although I would have liked to have seen less movement in this song: she was ably supported by the delightful Minnie Fay.  Barnaby brought youthful vigour and energy to the role, working well with both Minnie and Cornelius. I am sure that Cornelius would agree that he is not in the ‘first flush of youth’, but he captured the essence of the character wanting to break free from his boring existence, and delighting the audience with his lovely rendition of ‘It only takes a moment’. Ermengarde wailed beautifully and Ernestina was suitably terrifying to put off Vandergelder. The Judge had a wonderfully expressive face, responding well to the tale unfolding in the court.  The tiny cameo role of Mrs Rose was sensitively portrayed.

The songs were well sung and the musical accompaniment was well handled by the 4-piece band under the direction of Chloe Allsopp-Jones. They played well, were sympathetic to the cast, never overpowering them, and covering the scene changes well.

This is a challenging show in all areas for a small company such as this; I am sure everyone learnt a great deal under the direction of Linda Evans; and from the comments I overheard as the audience was leaving it had been well received.

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