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Blue Earth’s Town and Country Players presents: “Hello, Dolly!”

By Staff | Jul 11, 2016

The entire cast of the 2016 production of "Hello, Dolly!"

Blue Earth Town and Country Players are celebrating 40 years of summer musicals with the July 14-17 production of the ever-popular “Hello, Dolly!” which was first presented on the Coleman Hall stage in 1983. The Players wanted to bring back a blockbuster from the past and decided that the story of Dolly Levi, the matchmaker with a heart of gold, was the show to do.

The dates for “Hello, Dolly!” are actually one week later than usual. Since the 4th of July falls on Monday, the board decided to move the show dates back by one week; this also avoids a conflict with Giant Days in Blue Earth. The show will no longer be competing with the parade and the street dance, so the board decided to go back to three evening shows, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings, and a matinee on Sunday afternoon.

All shows will be on the stage in the air-conditioned Performing Arts Center at the Blue Earth Area High School, which is handicapped accessible and offers plenty of free parking. Reserved seat tickets are only $10 and may be purchased at the door or in advance from the Chamber of Commerce office at 113 S. Nicollet, Blue Earth. Questions about tickets or phone reservations can be made by calling (507) 4001827, which is the Players’ Google Voice number.

The cast for the show includes: Mrs. Dolly Gallagher Levi Sandy Guth; Ernestina DeAnna Shaikoski; Ambrose Kemper Nick Reed (Jackson); Horace Vandergelder Brian Roverud; Ermengarde Emilee Shaikoski; Cornelius Hackl Kurt Steinke; Barnaby Tucker Bennett Petersen; Minnie Fay Rebecca Dose (Jackson); Irene Molloy Rachel Gustafson; Mrs. Rose Lill Robinson; Rudolph Reisenweber Major-Domo of Harmonia Gardens Allen Jones; Stanley (waiter) Zach Shure; Court Clerk, Recorder Tucker Kuhn.

The Chorus: Women?; Jane Bell, Emily Black, Eva Castro, Yvonne Cory, Ellen Germain, Emma Germain, Lara Jones, Paula Kabe, Ellen Katzke, Rachel Krinke, Jessica Loken, Barb Pearson, Georgie Pfaffinger, Rachel Rauenhorst, Marianna Rincon, Lill Robinson, Barbara Shimmon, Abby Yates, Merilyn Yates.

Men; ?Garret Albers,?Michael Brenneman, John Engesser, Cameron Germain, Clayton Johnson, Allen Jones, Tucker Kuhn, David Murray, Kim Shaffer, Corey Shoen, Shawn Shoen, Zach Shure, Peter Steinke, Caleb Yates.

Nancy Steinke will serve as the stage director with Mike Ellingsen in charge of the pit orchestra. New to the directing staff this year will be musical guru, John Engesser, who will be the vocal director.

“Hello, Dolly!” the 1964 Tony Award winner for Best Musical is based on Thornton Wilder’s 1955 play “The Matchmaker” and is the basis for the 1969 film directed by Gene Kelly and starring Barbra Streisand, Walter Matthau, and Michael Crawford.

“Hello, Dolly!” was first produced on Broadway by David Merrick in 1964, winning a record 10 Tony awards, including Best Musical, a record held for 35 years. The show album was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2002.

The show has become one of the most enduring musical theatre hits, enjoying many Broadway revivals and international success. The original role was created to great critical acclaim by Carol Channing, and has also been performed by Pearl Bailey, Danny LaRue, Ethel Merman and Mary Martin. It was announced in Januaryof this year that “the Divine Miss ‘M’,” Bette Midler, has agreed to appear in the upcoming April 20, 2017, revival of the show.

In addition to the title song, other memorable songs from the show include “Put on Your Sunday Clothes,” “Motherhood March,” “Before the Parade Passes By,” “The Waiters’ Gallop,” and “It Only Takes a Moment.”

In the show, ?Dolly Levi, the famed New York City matchmaker, receives her toughest challenge yet when rich grump, Horace Vandergelder, the wellknown halfamillionaire owner of the Hay & Feed store in Yonkers, seeks a suitable wife. She successfully matches many others in the city, including Horace’s niece, Ermengarde, and Horace’s two clerks, Cornelius and Barnaby, but everything seems to go wrong when it comes to finding a match for Horace. Dolly finally realizes that maybe she’d like to marry Horace herself, but only if her late husband Ephram will send her a sign and if Horace himself will have her.