THERE was another piece of feelgood theatre at the Norbury Theatre when the players staged Hello, Dolly!
It had a lively start with ‘Call On Dolly’ led by an ensemble which was faultless throughout the whole production.
Dolly Levi must be one of the most manipulative characters of all musical theatre but the way she was portrayed by Melanie Brown made her a lovable match-maker who the audience took into their hearts. She ensured the character was at her manipulative meddling best, especially in the restaurant scene and in the song So Long Dearie where she tried to convince Horace Vandergelder into marrying her and in the court room where she attempted to get the half-millionaire convicted of several crimes.
Aside from the lead role, Tony Boardman as Vandergelder and Thomas Collen as Cornelius Hackl and Alex Stallard as Barnaby Tucker put in fantastic performances with their chemistry and comical timing excellent throughout.
Likewise, Jo Hargreaves as Irene Molloy and Alisha James as Minnie Fay were great to watch on stage with their superb interaction together.
The pick of the vocals came during Hargreaves’ rendition of Ribbons Down My Back and the duet between her and Collen on It Only Takes a Moment.
And among the best scenes were Mrs Molloy’s Hat Shop in act one when Cornelius and Barnaby were trying to hide amidst the impending arrival of their boss Vandergelder which provided classic farcical situation comedy and the restaurant scene in act two.
The ensemble’s striking red and white waiter outfits and the choreography during the show’s title score Hello Dolly made for some quite spectacular moments, bringing the biggest cheer and applause of the night and having the audience clapping along.
The way the booths in the restaurant were used was also very effective – the curtains being opened and closed acted as a perfect spotlight to switch between the conversations taking place on each of the two tables.
Choosing this cast for this production was a match well made – Hello, Dolly!
left those watching happy and humming some very catchy tunes as they left the auditorium.
The remaining performances are at 7.30pm from Wednesday (June 29) to next Saturday (July 3).
Visit www.norburytheatre.co.uk or call 1905 770154 for tickets which are £14 (£12 concessions).
