Latest news with #Dolly!
Irish Post
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Post
One-off performance of George Bernard Shaw classic celebrates playwright's birthday
A ONE-OFF performance of one of George Bernard Shaw's classic plays will be staged in June to mark the playwright's birthday. SHAW2020'S production of Village Wooing will run at the Irish Cultural Centre (ICC) in Hammersmith on July 27, just one day after what would have been Shaw's 169th birthday. Born in Dublin on July 26, 1856, Shaw remains one of Ireland's most celebrated literary figures. The ICC organisers say their commemorative event is set to 'honour his enduring legacy with a witty, incisive piece that showcases the playwright's hallmark charm, intellect, and social critique'. Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw pictured at his home in Hertfordshire, shortly before his 90th birthday in July 1946. (Pic: Getty) Directed by Jonas Cemm, and former trustee of The Shaw Society, the production of Shaw's anti-romance play stars Joe Sargent as 'A', a reserved guidebook writer, and Maryann O'Brien as 'Z', a quick-witted country shopgirl determined to draw him out of his shell. 'We are so looking forward to hosting the production of Village Wooing here at the ICC, as we know that SHAW2020 produce Bernard Shaw productions of the very best,' Rosalind Scanlon, Cultural Director of the Irish Cultural Centre, said this week. Following the show, Dublin-born actor Billy Boyle, who has starred in west end musicals such as Hello, Dolly!, Maggie May, and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, will host a Q&A with the director and cast. Village Wooing runs at the Irish Cultural Centre at 2.30pm on July 27. The production then transfers to nearby Theatre at the Tabard in Chiswick for a three-week run from August 6 – 23, where it will be part of a double bill, titled SHAW vs CHEKHOV: Village Wooing & The Proposal.
Boston Globe
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
She went from being a scientist to taking the stage. Now she's starring in ‘Hello, Dolly!'
Parent, a celebrated Boston actor and director who also leads the Front Porch Arts Collective, recalls how Doherty captured her character's improvisational personality during her audition, in a scene that unfolds at Dolly's beloved Harmonia Gardens restaurant, where she hasn't been since the death of her husband. With his assistant director Thomas W. Grant (below), director Maurice Emmanuel Parent keeps an eye on rehearsal of "Hello, Dolly!" at the Lyric Stage Boston. Pat Greenhouse/Globe Staff Advertisement 'Every time she did the scene, it was slightly different, and she was playing with different things. I was like, 'That's what Dolly needs to feel like. She's a woman who has a clear end goal, but she's figuring out things in the moment.'' At one point, Parent says, Doherty approached the audition table where Parent and Lyric co-artistic director Courtney O'Connor were sitting and whispered to them with a conspiratorial air, ''Hey, are you two together?' I said 'no,' and she rips off a piece of her [script excerpt] with her number on it, hands it to us and says, 'Call me.' Then she walks away and did the rest of the scene. She was already in character, already matchmaking!' That sealed the deal for Parent. He knew he had found his Dolly. 'I think an actor who makes bold choices informs a director in their choices,' he says. 'And her choice really informed how I'm structuring the piece. There is no fourth wall. So at any moment, it should feel like Dolly could say to an audience member, 'Hey, I have this wonderful person for you. Here's my card.'' Indeed, Parent is leaning on the Lyric's thrust stage setup and playing into the intimacy that can foster. The theater's four aisles and two tunnels will be utilized to full effect with the 16 performers. When Doherty decided to audition for the show, featuring music and lyrics by the legendary Jerry Herman and book by Michael Stewart, she wasn't sure if she was ready to play Dolly yet, but Parent said to show them what she had. Advertisement 'So I went in there and had fun and just aimed for the fences, and it was freeing because I didn't expect that I had much of a shot at it. Those auditions where you can keep the pressure off are usually the ones where you're the most playful, the most loose, and the most free to be yourself.' While Doherty has won two Elliot Norton Awards for her performances in 'On the Town' and 'Into the Woods' and been nominated for several others, her work has hit new heights in recent years. She cites playing 'I gave myself permission to not always be nice and likable. I wanted people to like me all the time, but with [Sally], I just decided that, yeah, she's selfish and childish at times, and people can be that way, and I need to just show it and not worry about alienating the audience. I've got to just trust that they will not give up on her and will still root for her.' Choreographer Ilyse Robbins at rehearsal for "Hello, Dolly!" Pat Greenhouse/Globe Staff With Dolly, there's little chance that the audience won't be rooting for and charmed by the people-pleaser from the minute she sashays onstage. She'll also break your heart. In the show, set in 1890s New York City, Dolly is a matchmaker with several other side gigs and chutzpah to spare. She's been mired in grief, her life frozen after the death of her husband Ephraim years before. Her latest job is to find a wife for grumpy Horace Vandergelder (Joshua Wolf Coleman), a wealthy-but-miserly merchant in Yonkers. But on this day, Dolly has an awakening and decides that she finally has to get off the sidelines of life and join the parade before it passes her by — and schemes to marry Horace herself. Advertisement 'She's always rearranging other people's lives, but what first struck me is how much [Dolly] is stuck herself,' Doherty says. 'She needs to live her life now. She needs to let go of grief and move on and forgive herself for doing that.' Several stories of young love intersect with Dolly's. Horace's wide-eyed shop workers Cornelius (Michael Jennings Mahoney) and Barnaby (Max Connor) head to New York and fall for plucky hat shop proprietor Irene Molloy (Kristian Espiritu) and her assistant, Minnie Fay (Temma Beaudreau). Then there's Horace's overprotected niece Ermengarde (Sophie Shaw) and the young artist, Ambrose (Stephen Caliskan), who she yearns to marry against her uncle's wishes. A "Hello, Dolly!" rehearsal last week at Lyric Stage Boston. Pat Greenhouse/Globe Staff Similar to some of her previous roles, Dolly is what Doherty dubs a 'boss babe.' 'She's very smart, and she's working within the constraints on women's roles at that time and using whatever she's got,' Doherty says. 'And I always gravitate towards those [characters] who are loud and opinionated and a little sexy and unabashedly themselves, but they're working against the system that doesn't believe a lady is supposed to be a business owner or a mover and shaker.' Doherty can relate to Dolly making a leap of faith to transform her life. Growing up in Walpole and Bellingham, Doherty took tap, jazz, and ballet as a kid and did her high school's production of 'Grease,' but never considered studying acting or becoming a performer. After carving out a successful career as an environmental scientist, helping to clean up oil spills and hazardous waste sites, she began doing community theater on the side. Advertisement Aimee Doherty, as Dolly Levi, is lifted by cast members during a dance number. Pat Greenhouse/Globe Staff Then in 2004, she landed a part in a SpeakEasy production of Sondheim's 'Company' — and never looked back. She started acting all around town. A few years later, when she got laid off from her job, she made a permanent transition. 'It was just a happy accident. I don't know that I would've ever had the courage to walk away from a career that I had for 15 years to say, 'I'm just going to dedicate my time and my heart to acting full time.' Parent says that Dolly's vow to 'rejoin the human race' and re-engage with life in a new and hopeful way is an inspiring message that reminds audiences, 'Even when we're down and out, you're still alive and you still have an opportunity to live your dreams and your life to the fullest.' HELLO, DOLLY! Music and lyrics by Jerry Herman, book by Michael Stewart. At: The Lyric Stage Company, May 16-June 22. Tickets from $25 ; 617-585-5678;
Otago Daily Times
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
Consider yourself in for a musical treat with ‘Oliver!'
Theatre enthusiasts are being encouraged to put on their best Sunday clothes as the South Canterbury Drama League prepares to hold auditions for its next musical Hello, Dolly!
Otago Daily Times
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
New, old actors invited to audition for ‘Hello Dolly'
The cast from the South Canterbury Drama League's 2021 production of Broadway Melody perform Put on your Sunday Clothes from Hello, Dolly!. PHOTO: BRAD REEVE Theatre enthusiasts are being encouraged to put on their best Sunday clothes as the South Canterbury Drama League prepares to hold auditions for its next musical Hello, Dolly! The drama league is seeking both new and experienced performers, inviting anyone interested to come along to an information evening 7pm tonight at the Playhouse on Church St. In a statement, marketing manager Jill de Joux said the musical would be directed by TJ Ramsay with Ella Thomas as the musical director and Bronwyn Chittock as the choreographer. "This is a wonderful opportunity for new talent to get involved. "Hello, Dolly! is a blockbuster Broadway hit filled with humour, romance, dancing and some of the greatest songs in musical theatre history. "The romantic and comic exploits of Dolly Levi, turn-of-the-20th century matchmaker and 'woman who arranges things', will entertain audiences in late-July/August at the Playhouse.'' She said it had been over 50 years since the drama league last produced Hello, Dolly! "So we think it's definitely time to bring back this much-loved classic about finding second-chance love.'' Auditions will be held on Sunday at the Playhouse from 2pm. To secure a spot and receive an audition pack email jill@ — APL
Western Telegraph
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Western Telegraph
Vision Theatre Company set to perform 'Hello, Dolly!'
Vision Theatre Company will be performing Hello, Dolly! at the Boulevard Theatre from May 1 to 3. The Tony Award-winning musical follows matchmaker Dolly Levi as she tries to find a match for Horace Vandergelder, a 'well-known unmarried half-a-millionaire.' With plenty of matchmaking and meddling, Dolly's true plan is to convince Horace that she is his perfect match. The show features 'spectacular costumes' and a score by Jerry Herman, including songs such as Put on Your Sunday Clothes, Before the Parade Passes By, and Hello, Dolly! More Stories Drew Baker, Vision Theatre Company's creative director, said: "We're absolutely delighted to bring this theatrical gem to the Boulevard Theatre. "The joy, humour, and heart of 'Hello, Dolly!' is exactly what audiences need right now, and our talented cast is eager to transport theatregoers to the vibrant world of turn-of-the-century New York." Tickets for all performances are on sale now and can be purchased directly from the Boulevard Theatre's website.
