Karen Ziemba Leads Drury Lane's HELLO, DOLLY!, Opening Tonight

Drury Lane Theatre, 100 Drury Lane, presents the Tony Award-winning musical sensation HELLO, DOLLY!, previewing October 17, opening tonight, October 24 at 8 p.m., and running through January 5, 2014. HELLO, DOLLY! stars Tony Award winner Karen Ziemba as "Dolly Levi." She received the Tony Award, the Drama Desk Award, and the Outer Critics Circle Award for her performance in Lincoln Center Theatre's Contact. Ziemba also received Tony Award nominations for her roles in Steel Pier, Never Gonna Dance, and Curtains and the Drama Desk Award for And the World Goes 'Round, as well as the Outer Critics Circle Awards for both Never Gonna Dance and Curtains. She has starred in productions at The New York City Opera, Carnegie Hall for PBS' Great Performances, and NY City Center Encores. Other Broadway roles include "DiAna Morales" in A Chorus Line, "Peggy Sawyer" in the original production of 42nd Street, "Polly Baker" in Crazy for You, and "Roxie Hart" in Chicago.

HELLO, DOLLY! is based on Thornton Wilder's 1955 play "The Matchmaker" and features Music and Lyrics by Jerry Herman (Mame and La Cage aux Folles) and a Book by Michael Stewart (Bye Bye Birdie and 42nd Street). The production was hailed as ""One of the biggest, brightest musicals of this century!" by The New York Times; "Good-hearted fun!" by Variety; "Infectious enthusiasm!" by Los Angeles Times; and "A triumph!" by The Washington Post. The musical phenomenon, which ran for nearly 3,000 performances on Broadway, won 10 Tony Awards in 1964 including "Best Musical." The 1969 film version of HELLO, DOLLY! was nominated for seven Academy Awards. Hello, Dolly! An Original Cast Recording was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2002.

HELLO, DOLLY! is the story of turn-of-the-century widowed matchmaker Dolly Gallagher Levi, who, after cunningly negotiating marriages for others through a series of comic romantic entanglements, ultimately finds her own match. HELLO, DOLLY! is a magical piece of musical theatre filled with memorable songs such as Put On Your Sunday Clothes, Before the Parade Passes By, and It Only Takes A Moment. Show-stopping dance numbers like Dancing and The Waiter's Gallop are combined with beautiful turn-of-the-century costumes to create a musical the whole family will enjoy!

HELLO, DOLLY! is Directed and Choreographed by multi-Jeff Award winner Rachel Rockwell (Ragtime, The Sound of Music and Oliver! at Drury Lane Theatre). Jeff Award winner Roberta Duchak (Oliver!, Singin' in the Rain and Ragtime at Drury Lane Theatre, and vocal coach for Russell Crowe and Hugh Jackman for the Academy Award-winning film LES MISERABLES) serves as Musical Director for the production. Multi-Jeff Award winning Scenic Designer Kevin Depinet (Oliver!, Singin' in the Rain, The Sound of Music, Sweeney Todd, and Ragtime at Drury Lane Theatre; The Iceman Cometh at the Goodman Theatre; and Set Designer for the film Public Enemies) has envisioned a delicate art nouveau set evocative of the turn of the century. The opulent scenery is further enhanced by lighting designed by Jeff Award winner Jesse Klug (Boeing-Boeing, Gypsy, The Sound of Music, and Spamalot at Drury Lane Theatre and The Screwtape Letters National Tour). The production features luscious period costumes by Theresa Ham (Oliver! and Sunset Boulevard at Drury Lane Theatre). Sound Design is by Jeff Award winner Ray Nardelli (Follies at Chicago Shakespeare Theater) and Wig Design is by Rick Jarvie. Props Design is by Nick Heggestad, Resident Properties Designer at Drury Lane Productions.

HELLO, DOLLY! stars multi-Jeff Award nominee David Lively as "Horace Vandergelder" (Cabaret at Drury Lane Theatre, Henry VIII at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, and the National Tour of Twelve Angry Men); Skyler Adams as "Ambrose Kemper" (Pinocchio at Chicago Shakespeare Theater); Jeff Diebold as "Cornelius Hackl" (National Tour of Mamma Mia!); Henry VIII at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, and the National Tour ofTwelve Angry Men); Emily Rohm as "Irene Malloy" (Sweeney Todd at Drury Lane Theatre and Beauty and the Beast at Chicago Shakespeare Theater); multi-Jeff Award winner Maggie Portman as "Minnie Fay" (Evita and Chess at Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre); Laura Savage as "Ermengarde" (Pal Joey at Porchlight Music Theatre and Beauty and the Beast at Chicago Shakespeare Theater); Lee Slobotkin as "Barnaby Tucker;" Jeff Award nominee Holly Stauder as "Ernestia"(Xanadu at Drury Lane Theatre and I Love Lucy Live On Stage at the Broadway Playhouse); and Jeff Award nominee George Andrew Wolff as "Rudolph" (Singin' in the Rain and Sweeney Todd at Drury Lane Theatre and Willy Wonka at Chicago Shakespeare Theater). The ensemble includes Kelsey Andres, David Baur, Jessica Blair, Bryan Connor, Betsy Ferrar, David Girolmo, Allyson Graves, Zachary L. Gray, Elizabeth Lanza, Alissa Robinson, Stephen Schellhardt, Will Skrip, Brittany Paige Snyder, Richard Strimer, and Jared Titus.

The performance schedule for HELLO, DOLLY! is as follows: Wednesdays at 1:30 p.m. ($35), Thursdays at 1:30 p.m. ($35) and 8 p.m. ($45), Fridays at 8 p.m. ($49), Saturdays at 5 p.m. ($49), and 8:30 p.m. ($49), and Sundays at 2 p.m. ($49), and 6 p.m. ($45). Lunch and dinner theatre packages range from $50 to $74 depending on the day of the week. Student group tickets start as low as $30 and Senior Citizens start at $32 for matinees and $47 for a matinee luncheon package. Tickets go on sale to the general public on August 16, 2013. For reservations call the Drury Lane Theatre box office at 630.530.0111, call TicketMaster at 800.745.3000 or visit www.drurylane.com.

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