There is no more quintessential Broadway musical than Jerry Herman’s Hello, Dolly! Theater companies large and small have been producing it regularly since its debut more than 50 years ago, including productions over the last decade by the Raven Players, Sonoma Arts Live and the Mountain Play. Santa Rosa Junior College takes their shot at it with a colorful production running in the Burbank Auditorium through April 26.
Based on Thornton Wilder’s The Matchmaker, it’s the musical tale of mistress-of-all-trades Dolly Gallagher Levi (Laura Downing-Lee) and her pursuit of Yonkers half-a-millionaire Horace Vandergelder (Justin Thompson). Others get involved in Dolly’s machinations, including Vandergelder’s Feed Store employees Cornelius Hackl (Sean Cooper) and Barnaby Tucker (Matthew Quezada-Cortes) and milliner Irene Malloy (Isabella Ascher) and her assistant Minnie Fay (Dana Carlton).
Dolly is a bucket-list role for longtime SRJC faculty member Downing-Lee, but apparently a lingering cold prevented her from giving the full performance she is eminently capable of giving. While quite effective in Dolly’s quiet, introspective moments, Dolly’s signature songs lacked the power one’s come to expect from the performer delivering them. She was clearly adjusting to the vocal limitations with which she was dealing. Rest up, Laura, and get well soon.
Justin Thompson was solid as the object of Dolly’s affections, whose gruffness and misogyny succumb to Dolly’s designs.
Beyond those two veteran performers, director Gina Alvarado has a (mostly) younger cast that really gets to shine in this production. Cooper and Ascher are in excellent voice, with Ascher’s delivery of the genteel “Ribbons Down My Back” quite moving. There’s a joyfulness in the performances of Quezada-Cortes and Carlton that’s quite infectious, and Quezada-Cortes displays some impressive dance moves.
The ensemble work is very strong. The larger production numbers like “Put On Your Sunday Clothes,” “Before the Parade Passes By” and “Waiters’ Gallop” (all featuring wonderful period costumes by Coleen Scott Trivett and boisterous choreography by Jolene Johnson) are well handled by the group. They’re parading and galloping on a typically well-designed (though occasionally wobbly) Peter Crompton-designed set.
Pacing is an issue for this show. While it came in at its advertised length (two hours and 30 minutes, plus intermission), there’s still some air to be let out of some scenes. Music director Les Pfützenreuter leads a strong 10-piece orchestra, but they could pick up the pace a bit, too.
Bottom line? This production of Hello, Dolly! is literally a classic case of everyone giving it “the ol’ college try.”
‘Hello, Dolly!’ runs Weds–Sun through April 26 in Santa Rosa Junior College’s Burbank Auditorium, 1501 Mendocino Ave., Santa Rosa. Weds-Sat, 7:30pm; Sun, 2pm. $12–$25. 707.527.4307. theatrearts.santarosa.edu.
