Bette Midler Talks HELLO DOLLY! Broadway Revival: 'It's A Tall Order!'

In a new interview with TIME, star of stage and screen, Bette Midler discusses her highly anticipated return to Broadway in a revival of HELLO DOLLY!

"Make it your own. That's what everyone I talked to said," says the actress of taking on the iconic role of Dolly Levi. "You can't do somebody else's version of it. It's a tall order. It's wonderfully constructed. It's this exquisite little jewel box, like a watch-so finely tuned, and every little piece works."

Since tickets have gone on sale, the upcoming revival has broken multiple box office records. "It has that terrific score that is part of everyone's DNA. It's thoroughly American and familiar," says Midler of the strong audience response. "It also has a sweetness and a lightheartedness that is genuinely needed in these dark times. That's why I decided to do it. People have had a rough few years and there's a lot of violence and ugliness in the world, and this is like a valentine, a sunbeam, a ray of sunshine."

Midler shared that her upcoming Broadway stint will be a big change from her well-known Las Vegas concerts. "I'm the boss when I do my own shows. Now I'm an employee, I've been hired, so it's up to me to bring what I can," she explains, adding "But I'm terrified that I'm going to turn around and say, "What are all these people doing on my stage?" I've worked for myself for close to 50 years. It's going to be a collaborative effort. It's a change of pace, but I think I'm up to it. I've met human beings before, so I think I'll be fine."

She goes on to joke that after her run as the lead role in an iconic Broadway musical ends, she may not be returning to the Great White Way any time soon. "Dolly is a big stretch," she tells the site. "I've been in a Broadway show, but never the lead. It's a brand-new thing, and at my age [71], it's quite a challenge: she has to be funny, she has to sing, and she has to dance. I might be done after this. I've done a lot."

The upcoming Broadway revival of Michael Stewart (book) and Jerry Herman's (music and lyrics) Hello, Dolly!, will star Bette Midler, David Hyde Pierce (Horace Vandergelder), two-time Tony Award® nominee Gavin Creel (Cornelius Hackl), Tony Award nominee Kate Baldwin (Irene Molloy), Taylor Trensch (Barnaby Tucker), Will Burton (Ambrose Kemper), Melanie Moore (Ermengarde), Tony Award nominee Jennifer Simard (Ernestina), and an ensemble of twenty-seven. Directed by four-time Tony Award winner Jerry Zaks and choreographed by Tony Award winner Warren Carlyle, Hello, Dolly! will begin performances at Broadway's Shubert Theatre (225 West 44th Street) on March 15, 2017, with an official opening night of April 20, 2017.

Based on Thornton Wilder's farce The Matchmaker, Hello, Dolly! caused an instant sensation when it premiered on Broadway in 1964, starringCarol Channing in the title role. It went on to win a record-shattering ten Tony Awards, including those for Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical, Best Original Score, Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical, Best Direction of a Musical, Best Producer of a Musical, Best Choreography, Best Scenic Design, and Best Costume Design. It was also named Best Musical by the New York Drama Critics' Circle. Its original Broadway cast recording hit the top of the Billboard album chart, and years later was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. It also marked the greatest producing triumph of legendary impresario David Merrick, running for 2,844 performances over seven years and breaking the record for the longest running show in Broadway history. In addition to Ms. Channing, an astonishing list of Broadway and Hollywood luminaries have inhabited the role of Dolly Gallagher Levi, including Pearl Bailey, Phyllis Diller, Betty Grable, Martha Raye, Ginger Rogers, Ethel Merman (in her last appearance on Broadway), and Mary Martin, who led the West End company.