Review: Supporting Characters Shine in HELLO DOLLY at Theatre Arlington

In 1964, HELLO DOLLY opened on Broadway, starring a relatively unknown, 43-year-old Carol Channing as the lead. Reviving the show in 1978, 1981, and 1995, Channing's personality is almost synonymous with the title character. With the demanding role requiring someone with a true star quality, many celebrities have tackled the bold character (including Ginger Rogers, Pearl Bailey, Phyllis Diller, Ethel Merman...and, of course, Barbara Streisand). It is no surprise that Arlington Player's has gambled on a local small-town-star as the headliner in their current production.

HELLO DOLLY is the story of a meddlesome widowed matchmaker, Dolly Levi (Persis Ann Forster), attempting to create herself a new husband out of the "well-known, unmarried half-a-millionaire," Horace Vandergelder (the charming Steven D. Morris). Meanwhile, she matches together a rich widow, Irene Molloy (Diane Powell) with Vandergelder's employee, Cornelius Hackl (Wyn Delano). She also sets up Molloy's assistant, Minnie (Joanna Phillips), with Cornelius's assistant, Barnaby (Jonathan Hardin). As if that's not enough matchmaking, Dolly also pairs the poor artist, Ambrose (Zachariah Wiedeman), with Vandergelder's niece, Ermengarde (Jessica Peterson). After creating quite the scene in an upscale New York City restaurant (which leads to a humorous court case), can Dolly convince Vandergelder to see her as his match? The plot feels far less complicated on stage, but it provides the perfect structure for a handful of Jerry Herman's best tunes.

In Arlington, the young supporting characters carry the bulk of the show with glee. As Corneilus, Wyn Delano finds a perfect balance of humor and heart. In his Act Two song, "It Only Takes a Moment," Delano's rich tenor voice is in perfect form. His sidekick, Barnaby (played affably by Jonathan Hardin) is a great match, particularly when the pair parades through the town singing "Put On Your Sunday Clothes." With a gorgeous soprano voice, Diane Powell delivers an elegant and sincere performance as Irene Molloy, whose Act One song, "Ribbons Down My Back," is the vocal highlight of the production. Joanna Philips plays the over-the-top (but cute-as-a-button) Minnie Fay with energy so infectious, you won't need a caffeine fix at intermission.

Alternatively, I never felt much energy from Persis Ann Forster's Dolly. While Dolly's lines are written almost entirely of punch lines and pizazz, Ms. Forster threatens to drag her scenes to a full stop, monotonously delivering her otherwise upbeat lines. This isn't to say I wasn't rooting for her, but perhaps her implied star status (not to mention biography full of Equity contracts in various local theatres) impaired my expectations. Should Forster let her hair down over the next few weekends, she has all the right tools for the job.

Director/choreographer Brandon Mason has assembled a fine young cast of singers and dancers to complete the ensemble. Although the quality of dancing may have marginally suffered based on the quantity of dance steps, the ensemble animated the stage with zeal. Kudos to costume designer Stefanie Glenn, whose period-perfect costumes lit up the room.

HELLO DOLLY runs Thursdays at 7:30pm, Fridays & Saturdays at 8:00pm, and Sundays at 2:00pm until October 4th. Tickets are available at www.theatrearlington.org.

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