Today we continue the 2014 edition of our annual BroadwayWorld feature series spotlighting the very best Tony Awards-related moments of all time with a special focus on one of the most adored and highly-awarded musicals ever written, HELLO, DOLLY!
Before The Parade Passes By Everyone knows the title song - even still, to this day; and perhaps some others, too, thanks to WALL*E - but HELLO, DOLLY! has a lot more going for it than merely a few plucky tunes and a big diva turn at its center. Indeed, basing a musical on Thornton Wilder's acclaimed play THE MATCHMAKER was undoubtedly a stroke of genius at the time and uber producer David Merrick made a musical masterpiece out of a commendable collection of talented artists by pushing them to their absolute artistic limits while the show was trying out in 1963. Director/choreographer Gower Champion staged the show to the absolute hilt, while Jerry Herman provided a score overflowing with tunefulness and heart (along with some smart additions by Bob Merrill) to match Michael Stewart's sharp, breezy book. And, of course - and above all else - Carol Channing gave the performance of her life essaying the role of Dolly Levi and created musical theatre history in the process. A master class. Subsequently, the show was richly awarded at that year's Tony Awards and the musical emerged as the outright hit of the decade, receiving a record 10 Tony Awards, including Best Musical.
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