Is Bette Midler Being Courted for HELLO, DOLLY! Revival?

We've been hearing for years, out of the mouth of musical legend Jerry Herman and others that a large-scale, Nederlander-produced revival of the classic Broadway musical Hello, Dolly! was coming to Broadway in the near future.

Well, the last time that 'near future' was mentioned was back in 2010, when it was reported that Patti LuPone was considering starring in the revival which she had also reportedly helped develop.

Today, Michael Riedel reports that there's interest in another legendary performer for the iconic role - Bette Midler. "'Sure - it would be great, but good luck getting her," says a veteran Broadway producer. The Nederlanders have approached her a number of times in the past, but she's always turned them down.

She didn't, I'm told, want to return to Broadway and have to carry a $12 million revival on her back. "That would be work," an insider says. "And she'd have to negotiate the staircase."

But now that she's got her feet wet with "I'll Eat You Last: A Chat With Sue Mengers," a fun but slight play, sources say she's ready to tackle something more ambitious the next time out."

Hello, Bette!?

Hello, Dolly! is one of Broadway's most successful shows running for 2,844 performances from January 16, 1964 to December 27, 1970 and winning 10 Tony Awards, a record that remained unbroken for 37 years. The story takes place when the irrepressible matchmaker Dolly Gallagher Levi is hired to arrange a marriage for the miserly half-millionaire Horace Vandergelder and she finds him the perfect mate - herself! But first she must win the heart of her unsuspecting "husband to be" before he gets hitched to somebody else. This beloved family musical is a delectable treat for musical theatre lovers of all ages, brimming with joyful tunes such as "Before the Parade Passes By", "It Only Takes a Moment", and of course, "Hello, Dolly!". The show features Music and Lyrics by Jerry Herman, book by Michael Stewart and based on the play The Matchmaker by Thornton Wilder.

Bette Midler began her legendary career as an entertainer in 1965, in New York, where she developed the trademark act that would make her one of the most renowned talents of her generation. Her debut album, 1972's The Divine Miss M set her on the path that has led her to earn Grammys, Emmys, Golden Globes and Academy Award nominations in a career that has spanned over 40 years. She has toured the world, sold millions of albums, published two books and appeared in over two dozen films, including The Rose, Beaches, Ruthless People, Hocus Pocus, First Wives Club and For The Boys. In addition to her work on stage and in films, Bette has made her mark in television, with the Emmy Award-winning CBS special of Ol Red Hair Is Back, and several HBO concerts, Live at Last and Art or Bust, and the Emmy Award-winning Diva Las Vegas. In 1992 she starred in the CBS television adaptation of the musical Gypsy, for which she won both a Golden Globe and the national board of review award for her performance. In January 2009 she concluded her sold-out Vegas spectacular The Showgirl Must Go On, at Caesar's Palace, with over 200 performances. In 1994, she returned to New York after nearly 20 years in Los Angeles, and started the New York Restoration Project, a non-profit organization devoted to bringing abandoned and neglected parks, gardens, and open spaces in all five boroughs back to life. NYRP includes the beautiful New Leaf Cafe in Fort Tryon Park as part of its success, and is committed to helping restore parks and gardens devastated by Hurricane Sandy.

Photo Credit: Walter McBride/WM Photos