HELLO, DOLLY – Book by Michael Stewart; Music and Lyrics by Jerry Herman; Directed by Carrie Colton; Music Direction by Mason Siders; Choreographed by Christine Zimmerman. Produced by Candlelight Dinner Playhouse (4747 Marketplace, Johnstown) through April 4. Tickets available at 970-744-3747 or ColoradoCandlelight.com.
Let’s start with this: I love Candlelight! It’s one of the youngest theaters on the Front Range, so to speak, but it has that old-fashioned “real” theatre feel about it. The generous lobby, the way you are checked in from a list of names and greeted as an old friend, the ample seating, the smell of food cooking as you arrive, the giant stage. But, most of all, the gorgeous sets and costumes, the live band, the chance to chat with your actor/waitperson, and the total absolute professionalism of the whole place. The productions have been a pipeline for talented UNC students/graduates to improve their professional craft and provide a harbor for Denver performers and BDT alumni. The performers come on stage well-directed, well-trained in the dances, and well-versed in the music.
So it is with incredible sadness that I have to say that their current production of HELLO, DOLLY just missed the mark for me. I would have thought it was just me – that I expected too much from a familiar script. But my guest, who had never seen the show on stage, and the two perfect strangers at our table (subscribers who had seen everything for several years) had the same reaction. At intermission, we looked at each other and said, “What’s wrong with this picture?”
There is much good about this production. The set is well-planned and pretty. Everything moves in and out smoothly. The Harmonia Gardens restaurant is brightly beautiful, in spite of some sticky curtains which I’m sure have been adjusted by now. The costumes get an A+ for color and style. The nine-piece band provided a rousing overture and splendid support for the musical action.
The singers and dancers were well prepared and seemed to be performing exactly as directed and choreographed.
My mind goes to the lovely “Elegance” that opens Act II. A charming, understated quartet of impostors pretending to be upper-crust snobs and having fun doing it with a simple dance. The amazing voice of Brooklyn Buhre, who plays Irene Malloy, the milliner in the younger love story, sang the touching “Ribbons Down My Back.” The grace of Jerod Mose as Cornelius, who knew what he wanted and found it in Irene. His rendering of “It Only Takes a Moment” is unforgettable. Roy Marcus, making a Candlelight debut, captures the agitated confusion of Horace, a man being backed into a wedding he didn’t know he wanted. And, of course, Melissa Williams, who displayed the loneliness of a woman alone, the longing for love, and the seriousness of her role as resident busybody.
So what’s wrong, you ask? It seems that, in-between those winning numbers, in an effort to add funniness to the proceedings, it was decided – as recorded in the director’s notes – to infuse the production with “the long tradition of clowning.” It feels like, in the hope of creating burlesque-style slapstick moments with silly voices, funny walks, and Keystone Kop-like antics and dancing, the honest, sweet humor of the characters and situations they found themselves in got a little lost. Which left the audience, at least the ones at my table, confused and a little bewildered. Is this Commedia del’Arte, a panto, burlesque, or Dolly as we know and love her?
This is only one person’s opinion. Please don’t let it keep you from this production. The people at the table next to us were laughing all evening and enjoying themselves. I’ve said, for years, that your enjoyment of theatre all depends on what you bring to the table. I just found this production not up to the standards Candlelight has set for themselves and what I have come to expect in their productions. But I can’t wait for ANYTHING GOES!!
A WOW factor of 8! .