Hello Dolly at Act II Playhouse

            In 1954, “The Matchmaker,” by Thornton Wilder debuted in London. About a widow who brokers marriages in Yonkers, New York at the turn of century, the play came to Broadway a year later with Ruth Gordon. A 1958 film adaptation starred Shirley Booth and included Shirley MacLaine, Anthony Perkins, and Robert Morse, before David Merrick and Jerry Herman created the musical, “Hello Dolly” in 1964. That’s a lot of history and few people know more than the film, starring Barbra Streisand which came out five years later, unless they were fortunate enough to see this funny, energetic, touching musical in its many Broadway revivals. The current production on the smaller, more intimate stage at Act II Playhouse, is outstanding!

            Dolly Gallagher Levi is the matchmaker. She is a widow herself as she tries to find partners for young and old. Beautifully adorned, she hides from everyone the fact that she has little money. In fact, she has business cards for dozens of different jobs, though basically, she is a meddler. There are so many engrossing stories that unfold on stage.

 I’d seen the movie some 50 years ago but remembered little of the details, which themselves, are most interesting. And while I knew the song “Hello Dolly,” I didn’t realize how many of the other songs I knew- (“It Takes a Woman” and “Before the Parade Passes By” to name two). Jerry Herman’s lyrics fit seamlessly into the musical and move the story effortlessly. There is so much to see.

From the start, we see the wonderful costumes by Millie Hiibel. They adorn the cast of 14 assembled by Director and Choreographer Stephen Casey, who brings us right into the lives of these people while entertaining us with their songs and dance. And unlike a larger theater where we listen to the voices through miking, we don’t need them because we are so close to the action.

I wondered how such a grand musical would work on a small stage. It is superb. We can see the expression on each performer’s face. While we listen to the songs and watch them dance, we can feel their enthusiasm because we so close. It is a visual treat. And the ensemble and the supporting actors outstanding. That leads me to Jennie Eisenhower who plays Dolly.

I read in the program of her extensive experience on the stage and of her six Barrymore nominations and two Barrymore awards. In portraying this larger-than-life character, she was spectacular. Her moves, her glances, her talk, her voice- it was hard to take my eyes off her. She didn’t play Dolly, she WAS Dolly. I can’t envision anyone playing the role better than she.

I can’t imagine a finer production of a musical this season.

“Hello Dolly” at Act II Playhouse, 56 E. Butler Ave., Ambler, PA 19002,  215-654-0200, www.act2.org.  Thru June 18, 2023