HELLO, DOLLY! Opens 6/28 at Music Circus

The 66th Music Circus season continues with the delightful and enduing musical Hello, Dolly!, Jerry Herman's award-winning tale of vivacious matchmaker Dolly Levi. Performances are Tuesday, June 28 through Sunday, July 3 at the Wells Fargo Pavilion.

This ebullient and irresistible musical theatre classic glitters with happy songs, high-energy choreography and elaborate costumes. "Jerry Herman's tunes are so infectious it's hard not to be drawn in," raves the Chicago Reader. The indomitable matchmaker Dolly Levi rediscovers love for herself as she introduces romance into the lives of wealthy shopkeeper Horace Vandergelder, his niece and two sheltered clerks. This timeless show features the songs "It Only Takes A Moment," "Put On Your Sunday Clothes" and the title number, one of the most beloved songs in American musical comedy.

Tickets for Hello, Dolly! start at $45 and are available by phone at (916) 557-1999, online at Tickets.com, or in person at the Wells Fargo Pavilion Box Office, 1419 H Street in Sacramento. Evening performances are Tuesday through Saturday, June 28 - July 2, at 7:30 p.m. Matinee performances are Thursday, June 30 and Saturday, July 2 at 2:00 p.m. and Sunday, July 3 at 3:00 p.m. For more information, visit SacramentoMusicCircus.com.

In this production of Hello, Dolly!, Lynne Wintersteller, who was an original Broadway cast member of A Grand Night For Singing and recently starred as Mrs. Shubert in the Off-Broadway production of Shear Madness, will take on the effervescent matchmaker Dolly Levi. The object of her machinations, Horace Vandergelder, will be played by Stuart Marland, seen in last summer's Bye Bye Birdie as Mr. MacAfee as well as in Broadway productions of Newsies, Xanadu, Jekyll & Hyde, and Beauty and the Beast. Playing his shopkeeper, Cornelius Hackl, is John Scherer, who, in addition to having appeared on Broadway in Love Musik and originating the role of Bertie Wooster in By Jeeves, has frequently performed with Music Circus in productions including 1776, Hairspray, and Spamalot. Jordan Grubb, who is also no stranger to Music Circus, having performed in Mary Poppins, A Chorus Line, and 42nd Street, in addition to touring with Mary Poppins, will play Barnaby Tucker. Jacquelyn Piro Donovan, playing Irene Malloy, is the only actor in Broadway history to have portrayed both Cosette and Fantine in LES MISERABLES and has appeared in numerous roles with Music Circus including the Wicked Witch in The Wizard of Oz, Nancy in Oliver!, and Grizabella in Cats. Sarah Marie Jenkins returns to Music Circus as Minnie Fay, after appearing last summer in West Side Story, Peter Pan and Bye Bye Birdie, as well as performing in the National Tours of Legally Blonde, Guys and Dolls, Swing!, and Honeymoon in Vegas at Papermill Playhouse.

Ernestina Money will be played by Mary Jo Mecca, who has performed in numerous regional theatre productions across the country and appeared at Music Circus in Mary Poppins and last season's My Fair Lady and Big River. Sainty Nelsen, last summer's Ursula Merkle in Bye Bye Birdie, returns as Ermegarde; she can also be in seen in her recurring role on TV's "Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll" with Dennis Leary. Courting Ermegarde as Ambrose is Justin Schuman, who appeared in the first national tour of Nice Work If You Can Get It and has performed in numerous regional theatre productions including the world premiere of Ever After at the Tony- Awarded Paper Mill Playhouse. John B. Williford, whose tour credits include Jesus Christ Superstar, Peter Pan, and Camelot, adds to his wide-ranging Music Circus résumé, joining the cast as Rudolph. Dave Pierini, a company member at Sacramento's B Street Theatre, returns this summer as the Judge, having appeared in last season's West Side Story as Officer Krupke.

The cast will also include the following actors: Ward Billeisen, last seen at Music Circus in Hair, has also performed on Broadway in Anything Goes, Curtains, and Fiddler on the Roof. Making her Music Circus debut, Lindsey Bracco has appeared in numerous productions with Pittsburgh CLO including The Wedding Singer, Man of La Mancha, and Gypsy. Seth Danner, returning to Music Circus after last summer's production of Hair, has toured nationally and with the Japanese Tours of Chicago and A Chorus Line. Zak Edwards appeared in the First National Tour of Young Frankenstein, the Off-Broadway production of Yank!, and may be familiar to Sacramento audiences as Frederic from Sacramento Theatre Company's The Pirates of Penzance. In addition to performing in The Music Man in Concert with Shirley Jones and Patrick Cassidy, this is Danielle Hansen's fourth Music Circus season, having appeared in My Fair Lady, Big River, and Brigadoon, among others. Karen Hyland has appeared at Music Circus in numerous productions including Mary Poppins, South Pacific, and Brigadoon, as well as on Broadway in Scandalous and Ghost.

Eric Anthony Johnson returns to Music Circus after serving as the Dance Captain of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella for its two-year Broadway run and has toured with Evita, Elf the Musical, Miss Saigon and West Side Story. Matthew Kilgore performed on Broadway in Irving Berlin's White Christmas, toured with numerous shows including Chicago, Fiddler on the Roof, and Evita and appeared in multiple Music Circus productions. Returning for his third season at Music Circus, Adam Lendermon has appeared Off-Broadway in The Anthem, in numerous regional theatre productions, and in concert in Children of Eden at The Kennedy Center. Shanon Mari Mills, who last appeared at Music Circus in Sugar, toured with Cathy Rigby is Peter Pan and with the First National Tour of Wicked as the Glinda understudy. Elyse Niederee, who was also in the cast of this summer's Legally Blonde, appeared in the National Tour of Elf the Musical as well as numerous regional theatre productions. Michelle West, who toured with Memphis the Musical and performed in West Side Story at Carnegie Hall, also appeared this summer in Legally Blonde. Connor Wince, whose favorite credits include A Chorus Line with Baayork Lee, Footloose, and Crazy for You, will be making his Music Circus debut this summer. Also performing at Music Circus for the first time this summer, Jessica Wockenfuss has previously appeared with the National Tour of Spamalot, and in numerous regional theatre productions.

Hello, Dolly! will be directed by Glenn Casale, Artistic Director for California Musical Theatre since 2008, who has directed more than 50 productions for Music Circus and Broadway Sacramento over the past 20 years. Choreographer Randy Slovacek has not only choreographed the national tour of Hello, Dolly!, as well as A Chorus Line and Chicago at Music Circus, but has also performed in all three shows on Broadway/in national tours. Musical Director Craig Barna has been with Music Circus for 30 years and has conducted on Broadway, in L.A. and for several prominent stock and regional theaters across the country.

Music Circus is produced under the leadership of Artistic Director Glenn Casale and Executive Producer Scott Klier. California Musical Theatre President and CEO is Richard Lewis.

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