Hello, Dolly!

The pedigree for this successful Broadway musical goes all the way back to an 1835 English play that was later adapted into a farce by Thornton Wilder, before David Merrick turned it into a hit show, with a little help from Louis Armstrong, whose chart-topping single, "Hello, Dolly!," convinced the legendary producer to change the title of the show.

Alicia Dunfee as Dolly Levi Photo: Glenn Ross/www.GlennRoss.ws

Mrs. Dolly Gallagher Levi (Alicia Dunfee) is a Jill-of-all-trades; she has a business card for every occasion, which she freely shares whenever the need arises, which is often, given that she is a widower who must make her own way. Dunfee's large personality is a perfect fit for the role, forcing us and all the other characters to accede to Dolly's irrepressible need to arrange everything. Dunfees vocals are pleasant, though no fireworks here.

Alicia Dunfee as Dolly Levi and Wayne Kennedy as Horace Vandergelder Photo: Glenn Ross/www.GlennRoss.ws

Being such a clever woman puts Dolly in direct opposition to Horace Vandergelder (Wayne Kennedy), a wealthy merchant in Yonkers, New York, who employs her to find him a wife. Kennedy's well-honed comedic chops turn the chauvinistic and elitist Horace, who has his eye on an attractive younger woman, Irene Molloy (Tracy Warren) into a blubbering and flustered fool, who sees the error of his ways and falls for Dolly.

Horace is also challenged by his daughter, Ermengarde (Kristi-Ann King), who wants to marry Ambrose Kemper (Scott Beyette), an artist, whom Horace considers beneath their station. King and Beyette cut a rug in the dance numbers; in terms of character development, though, the script doesn't provide them much to work with.

(L to R) Tracy Warren as Irene Molloy, Brian Cronan as Barnaby Tucker, Jessica Hindsley as Minnie Fay, and Brian Jackson as Cornelius Hackl Photo: Glenn Ross/www.GlennRoss.ws

Meanwhile, Horace's two around-the-clock employees, Cornelius Hackl (Brian Jackson) and Barnaby Tucker (Brian Cronan) sneak away from work to go to New York City in the hopes of meeting some girls. The farce reaches fever-pitch when Cornelius and Barnaby end up at Irene's millinery shop at the same time as Horace.

Cornelius and Barnaby court Irene and her assistant, Minnie Fay (Jessica Hindsley), pretending they are rich, which leads to another close encounter with Horace, at the upscale Harmonia Gardens Club in Manhattan. Jackson and Warren make for a sweet couple, though their harmonies could use some work.

The show's success over the years—it ranks 18th among musicals with 2,884 consecutive performances, 10 Tony Awards in 1964, including Best Musical, a Drama Desk Award in 1970, and revivals in 1975 (42 performances), 1978 (147 performances), and 1995 (116 performances)—says a lot about the power of personality (Carol Channing).

Boulder's Dinner Theatre's production of Hello, Dolly! runs through February 26th. 303-449-6000.

Bob Bows