Lorna Luft Unable to Continue in NMST's HELLO, DOLLY!; Jacquelyn Piro Donovan Steps In

Due to a severe back injury, Ms. Lorna Luft will be unable to play the role of Dolly Levi in the award-winning North Shore Theatre (NSMT) production of HELLO, DOLLY! scheduled to open Tuesday, June 12, and play through Sunday, June 24. Press night is scheduled for June 13 at 7:30pm.

“I am heartbroken that I will not be able to play the fantastic character, Dolly Levi. But, my doctors are telling me that Dolly can not wear a back brace and walk with a cane!” Stated Luft. “I wish Jacqui and the entire cast the best of luck and I can't wait to be in a future production at the North Shore Music Theatre.”

Lynnfield native and Broadway veteran Jacquelyn Piro Donovan will step in to play the part of Dolly Levi when HELLO, DOLLY! returns to North Shore Music Theatre for the first time in more than 25 years. This is not the first time Jacqui has stepped in for an injured star in HELLO, DOLLY! Last year, with only four days notice, she stepped in for an injured Cybil Shepard at North Carolina Theatre.

“We all wish Lorna Luft a quick recovery from her injury and we look forward to working with her in the future,” said Bill Hanney, NSMT’s owner and producer. “We are very fortunate Jacqui was available. She was already cast as Miss Hannigan in our upcoming production of Annie, so audiences will get the chance to enjoy two very different sides to this amazingly talented actress. We are confident that Jacqui, along with Tony Award®-Winner Gary Beach and the rest of the cast will put on a performance that will have everyone talking!”

HELLO, DOLLY! the beloved, Tony Award®-winning classic musical is sure to make everyone fall in love with America's most beloved matchmaker, Dolly Levi! The Broadway hit, based on Thornton Wilder’s 1955 play “The Matchmaker,” features a book by Michael Stewart, music and lyrics by Jerry Herman, and is packed with memorable songs, including “Put On Your Sunday Clothes,” “Before the Parade Passes By,” “It Only Takes a Moment,” and the title song, “Hello, Dolly!”

Jacquelyn Piro Donovan will play matchmaker Dolly Gallagher Levi. Her Broadway credits include Les Misérables and Miss Saigon and her national tour credits include How The Grinch Stole Christmas, Sunset Boulevard, Big, Miss Saigon, and The Secret Garden. She has appeared throughout the country at many regional theatres and has been seen at NSMT in Gypsy, Les Misérables, and Fiddler on the Roof.

HELLO, DOLLY! will also star Tony Award®-winning actor Gary Beach as the miserly half-a-millionaire Horace Vandergelder. Gary’s Broadway credits include Les Misérables, La Cage aux Folles (Tony nomination), The Producers (Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle awards), and Beauty and the Beast (Tony nomination). His was seen in the national tour of James Kirkwood’s Legends!, and has been seen regionally in Hello Dolly!, Closer Than Ever, and Of Thee I Sing. Film credits include The Producers and television credits include “2003 Kennedy Center Honors,” “Queer as Folk,” “Arli$$,” “The Jamie Foxx Show,” “Murder, She Wrote,” “Sisters,” and “Cheers.”

The cast of HELLO, DOLLY! will also feature Analisa Leaming (Irene Malloy), Matt Loehr (Cornelius), Eric Mann (Barnaby), Mara Newbery (Ermengarde), Sarah Peak (Minnie Fay), and Cary Tedder (Ambrose).

The ensemble includes Kristine Bennett, Scott Brateng, Jack Doyle, Rachel Fairbanks, Thomas Gibbons, Leeds Hill, Eric Huffman, Matthew Warner Kiernan, Stephanie Moskal, Dennis O'Bannion, Ellen Peterson, JP Qualters, Kevin Santos, Casey Shea, Tara Sweeney, and Kyle Vaughn

HELLO, DOLLY! will be directed by Charles Repole, choreographed by Michael Lichtefeld, and musical direction will be provided by Craig Barna, the same team that helmed last season’s My Fair Lady. The creative team also includes Erik D. Diaz (Scenic Designer), Paula Peasley-Ninestein (Costume Coordinator), Ken Smith (Lighting Designer), Michael Eisenberg (Sound Designer), John Godbout (Production Stage Manager), Natalie A. Lynch (Assistant Stage Manager), and Cassandra Marsh (Assistant Music Director). HELLO, DOLLY! is produced for North Shore Music Theatre by Bill Hanney (Owner/Producer), Arianna Knapp (Artistic Director), and Beth Vasta (Associate Producer).

Tickets for the HELLO, DOLLY! are priced from $40 - $70. Performances are June 12 - 24, Tue – Thurs at 7:30 pm, Fri & Sat at 8 pm, matinees Wed, Thur, Sat and Sun at 2 pm. For tickets and information call (978) 232-7200, visit www.nsmt.org, or visit the box office in person at 62 Dunham Rd., Beverly, Massachusetts. Discounted 5- Show Subscriptions and Trio packages are available. HELLO, DOLLY! is sponsored by First Trade Union Bank.

ADDITIONAL FREE AUDIENCE ENRICHMENT EVENTS: Meet the Theatre: post-show audience discussion with the artists on June 19 after the 7:30 pm performance and June 23after the 2 pm performance; OUT at the North Shore, an evening for the Gay and Lesbian Community with a post-show reception (sponsored in part by Ryan & Wood Inc. Distilleries and Sparkling Soirées) on June 21 after the 7:30 pm performance.

The 2012 musical season continues with Annie (July 17 – 29), All Shook Up (August 14 – 26) starring Joyce Dewitt, 9 to 5 The Musical (September 25 – October 7), Guys and Dolls (October 30 – November 11), and concludes with the return of New England’s brightest holiday tradition A Christmas Carol, December 7 –23, starring David Coffee as Ebenezer Scrooge.