It’s the turn of the century in New York City. The economy is booming and scientific discoveries are being made. But most importantly, Dolly Gallagher Levi is in town, doing what she does best: matchmaking for the city’s most notorious elite.

The role of Dolly is played by Sally Struthers, who audiences might recognize as Lorelai Gilmore’s neighbor in the TV show, “Gilmore Girls.” She is sassy, witty and overwhelmingly convincing in the role of Dolly in Jeffrey B. Moss’ production of “Hello, Dolly!” which is playing at the Oncenter on Wednesday and Thursday night.

So what brings Dolly to the big city this time?

As a matchmaker, it is Dolly’s job to make relationships happen. Her skills are put to good use with her most recent client, as she sets off on a mission to find Horace Vandergelder a second wife. Horace, a notoriously grumpy but wealthy businessman, is the owner of a well-known hay and feed store in Yonkers.

John O’Creagh plays the role of Vandergelder and he fits the persona well. The interactions between the bubbly widow and solitary businessman are engaging. Acting as an old married couple from the start, their awkward work relationship foreshadows their predictable marriage in the end.

Dolly is hired to find Horace two eligible women. She also takes on the responsibility of convincing Horace to let his whiny niece, Ermengarde, marry an artist, whose profession Horace deems “unsuitable” for his darling niece. Dolly quickly becomes involved in every character’s business in some way, leaving the audience trying to keep up with this complicated love triangle.

But it turns out that Dolly clearly wants Horace for herself. Widowed and struggling to make ends meet, Dolly deems Horace as the perfect second husband to fulfill her financial needs.

Though he may be well suited for Dolly, Horace treats his two employees, Cornelius and Barnaby (played by Matt Wolfe and Garett Hawe, respectively) poorly. As a result, the two decide to close up shop when Horace goes away for the weekend, and enjoy a night out in the city in which they seek adventure, excitement and love.

Wolfe and Hawe did an exceptionally good job in the role of the dynamic duo Cornelius and Barnaby, adding humor to the show every time they were on stage. Cornelius has never had a night out, and Barnaby, his 17-year-old sidekick, goes along with his every move to take on the big city. The two men end up with the two bachelorettes initially selected for Horace, getting into more trouble with their boss. Wolfe and Hawe are amusing in their relationship with the other characters and add a youthful energy to the story.

As a result of their night of debauchery, each character ends up in one of the city’s finest restaurants on the same evening, causing chaos. The pandemonium results in a perfectly choreographed scene of waiters dancing, chefs performing impressive acrobatics and actors scurrying about the stage. The actors perfected this organized madness as the stage exploded with color and movement; the choreography was definitely a highlight of the performance.

Dolly is in the middle of it all this chaos. She is a professional at meddling in other people’s business and never fails to talk her way out of anything, which eventually leads to her winning Horace’s love and attention in the end. Struthers’ performance was spot on, having a love-hate relationship with the audience, never failing to make everyone laugh while also playing the role of an overbearing old lady with no filter.

The audience was transported back to the year 1898 with the elaborate costumes and vintage set design. The music was exactly what one would expect from a musical that takes place in early twentieth century NYC, certain numbers sounding more familiar than others, but all performed excellently by the orchestra.

The music added to the old-time feel of the show, highlighting jazzy big-band show tunes. However, the actors singing and dancing, although very entertaining, did not exemplify their true talents, because it was often intended to make the audience laugh, rather than showcase their vocal abilities.

The audience still seemed engaged and entertained throughout the show, keeping up with the clever one-liners and convoluted story line.

Between the vintage costumes, big-band music and clearly dated dialogue, it may seem as though this is exactly the kind of Broadway musical targeted toward a more elderly audience, but the themes and the story itself are timeless. This production of “Hello, Dolly!” can definitely keep an audience entertained.

Published on October 9, 2013 at 2:44 am

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