SF Museum of Performance & Design Celebrates Channing with Stellar Exhibition Thru 3/14

The San Francisco Museum of Performance & Design presents a "Celebration of Carol Channing" now through March 14th, 2009.

From the famous red dress she wore in the original 1964 production of "Hello Dolly" to her Tony awards, scripts, posters and Al Hirschfeld drawings are on view to the public.

Carol Channing, a recipient of the 1995 Lifetime Achievement Tony Award, has been a star of international acclaim since a Time Magazine cover story hailed her performance as Lorelei Lee in Gentleman Prefer Blondes writing; "Perhaps once in a decade a nova explodes above the Great White Way with enough brilliance to re-illumine the whole gaudy legend of show business."

Her Broadway appearances include So Proudly We Hail, Let's Face It, Lend An Ear (Theatre World Award), Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Show Girl, Pygmalion, The Millionairess, The Vamp, Four On A Garden, and Wonderful Town. Making theatrical history, she won the Tony Award in 1964 for her legendary portrayal of Dolly Levi in Jerry Herman's Hello, Dolly!. Jacqueline Kennedy and her two children made their first public appearance after JFK's death by seeing her perform in Hello, Dolly! and later visited her backstage.

She has since played the role in over 5,000 performances, including a smash London engagement at the great Drury Lane Theatre without missing a single performance. She then toured with her own revue, Carol Channing and Her Ten Stout-Hearted Men and critically acclaimed tours of Jerry's Girls and Legends, in which she co-starred with Mary Martin. She has been the star of numerous films, TV shows and animated features, as well.

The Museum of Performance & Design is the first museum in the country dedicated exclusively to the performing arts and theatrical design. The Museum's mission is to educate people of all ages about the impact and value of the performing arts in their lives through exhibitions, programming, and research. In addition the Museum collects, preserves, and makes accessible performance and design materials that reflect our diverse culture.

Noon-5 p.m. Wed.-Sat. Through March 14. No charge-admission is free. Museum of Performance & Design, 401 Van Ness Ave., San Francisco. (415) 255-4800,  for more info visit www.mpdsf.org.

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