TUESDAY 6:30am UPDATE Bette Midler says on Twitter she’s “so excited” to star next year on Broadway in “Hello Dolly!”
Jerry Zaks will direct. Warren Carlyle will be choreographer. Performances begin in March 2017.
EARLIER
Well HELLO! This Dolly has an announcement coming tomorrow ! Stay tuned!
(A little update: Scott Rudin is producing which makes sense. He’s the David Merrick of our time, in all the best sense of it. Merrick was the producer of “Dolly!” originally.)
That’s right from Bette Midler’s Twitter account a few minutes ago. If true, we will see Bette star as Dolly Levi on Broadway in “Hello, Dolly!” next spring. That will be a major big deal. Dolly was famously played by Carol Channing, Pearl Bailey and Ethel Merman on Broadway, and by Barbra Streisand in a mess of a movie.
But Midler singing those Jerry Herman songs? People will be crawling over each other at the box office. Who should play the half a millionaire from Yonkers, Horace Van derGelder? (May I suggest Brian Stokes Mitchell?) Or his two clerks, Barnaby and Cornelius? Let’s hope there’s some really great thought put in there.
By the way, Marge Champion, widow of Gower, the show’s legendary choreographer, is a sprightly 96 years old. Maybe she’ll have some input too. Let’s cross our fingers Susan Stroman is directing.
Could be a fun morning on Broadway!
