Hello, Bernie! Bernadette Peters & Victor Garber to Take Over in HELLO, DOLLY!

Someone new is getting ready to put on her Sunday clothes... and that someone is Bernadette Peters!

Three-time Tony winner Bernadette Peters will take over as Dolly Levi in Hello, Dolly!, opposite Victor Garber as Horace Vandergelder. Bette Midler, who won a Tony Award earlier this year for her portrayal of the meddling matchmaker will depart the production on January 14, 2018 as will co-star David Hyde Pierce.

The press office has just confirmed to BroadwayWorld that Peters will be the next star! Garber has also been confirmed to take over for David Hyde Pierce!

Ms. Peters will begin performances Saturday evening, January 20, 2018, prior to a Thursday, February 22 opening night. A new block of tickets goes on sale, via Telecharge.com and Shubert Theatre box office, Saturday, September 9, at 10:00 A.M. (ET).

Bette Midler, who received universal raves and every Broadway acting honor for her performance as Dolly Gallagher Levi in Hello, Dolly!, including the Tony for Best Actress in a Musical, will play her final performance on Sunday, January 14.

In a statement, Ms. Peters said, "I'm absolutely thrilled to continue in the tradition of the incomparable Bette Midler, Carol Channing, and all of the other wonderful actresses who have played Dolly Levi, and I look forward to joining this wonderful company at the Shubert."

Ms. Midler said, "I cannot imagine leaving Dolly Levi in better hands than those of Bernadette Peters. She has created more historic roles in more legendary musicals than any living Broadway star, and most of the dead ones, too. I cannot wait to see her in the show from my very expensive premium seat in Row G which I know I will have to pay for. She is joining the greatest group of people I have ever worked with, and when my run in this amazing show - and in this amazing part - is over, I will miss all of them more than I can express. I know they will take care of her the way they have taken care of me - with the heart and generosity they have shown me since day one of rehearsal."

One of Broadway's most critically acclaimed performers, Peters has won numerous accolades including three Tony Awards®, a Golden Globe, three Grammy® nominations, three Emmy® nominations and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Recent stage credits include City Center's Encores! production, A BED A CHAIR: A New York Love Affair featuring the music of Stephen Sondheim and orchestrations by Wynton Marsalis, and on Broadway, A Little Night Music and Follies.

Peters has recorded six solo albums; including the Grammy®-nominated I'll Be Your Baby Tonight, Sondheim, Etc.: Bernadette Peters Live at Carnegie Hall and Bernadette PetersLoves Rodgers & Hammerstein, in addition to numerous Grammy Award®-winning Broadway Cast recordings.

Peters devotes her time and talents to numerous events that benefit Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. Her "pet project" Broadway Barks, co-founded with Mary Tyler Moore, is an annual star-studded dog and cat adoption event that benefits shelter animals throughout The New York City area. She is a New York Times Best-Selling author who has penned three children's books, Broadway Barks, Stella is a Star, and Stella and Charlie: Friends Forever. All of her proceeds from the sale of these books benefit Broadway Barks. Peters resides in New York with her rescue dogs, Charlie and Rosalia.

Mr. Garber will begin performances on Saturday evening, January 20, 2018, prior to an official Thursday, February 22 opening. David Hyde Pierce, who received Tony Award, Drama Desk Award, and Outer Critics Circle Award nominations in the role, plays his final performance on Sunday, January 14. A new block of tickets goes on sale, via Telecharge.com and Shubert Theatre box office, Saturday, September 9, at 10:00 A.M. (ET).

Garber's extensive list of Broadway credits include four Tony Award nominations for his work in Damn Yankees, Lend Me A Tenor, Deathtrap and Little Me.

Garber is well-known to television audiences for his roles on the hit series Alias and Eli Stone. He appeared in the Showtime series WEB THERAPY opposite Lisa Kudrow. His other television credits include the ABC miniseries Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows, for which he was nominated for an Emmy. He also starred in ABC's musical versions of Annie and The Music Man. Other TV credits include The Flash, Power, The Slap, WEB THERAPY and Deception. In film, Garber has appeared in Titanic, Sleepless in Seattle, The First Wives Club, You Again and Milk.

The new Broadway production of Hello, Dolly! nabbed four Tony Award wins this year, including Best Revival of a Musical, Best Actress in a Musical (Ms. Midler), Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Gavin Creel), and Best Costume Design of a Musical (Santo Loquasto).

This production of Michael Stewart and Jerry Herman's masterpiece, Hello, Dolly! instantly became the hottest ticket of the year when it broke the record for best first day of ticket sales in Broadway history. By the time it began previews, it had the largest pre-performance advance sale in Broadway history.

Both Hello, Dolly! and Ms. Midler swept the awards season circuit. In addition to the aforementioned Tony Awards, the Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, and Drama League organizations also recognized both the production and Ms. Midler with awards.

Directed by four-time Tony Award winner Jerry Zaks and choreographed by Tony Award winner Warren Carlyle, Hello, Dolly! began performances at Broadway's Shubert Theatre on March 15, 2017, and officially opened on Thursday, April 20, 2017.