Betty Buckley "DOLLY" opening in Cleveland/ Casting News ?

[Call_me_jorge]

Would love to see Emily Rohm as Irene.

[Dollypop]

...and Loretta Swit as Ermengarde!

[goldenboy]

Lewis J Stadlen played Horace at the Wick Theatre. He was so good, that the show should have been called Hello Horace. He stole the show.  Great that he is doing the tour.

[dmwnc1959]

RippedMan said: "Casting is in final callbacks this week, so I don't think we'll hear for another few weeks."

 

Well, it’s been a month. Any news? :)

[Theatricality]

Utica, NY has a “secret show” being announced next month as a part of their 2018-2019 season. I would not be surprised one bit if Dolly will be teching here before it’s opening.

[gleek4114]

I could love if Kristen Beth Willams was cast as Irene (she's the current understudy). I saw her as Sibella in the tour of GGLAM and I have no doubt she would be wonderful as Irene.

[sbflyfan]

Theatricality said: "Utica, NY has a “secret show” being announced next month as a part of their 2018-2019 season. I would not be surprised one bit if Dolly will be teching here before it’s opening."

Cleveland has been advertising Hello Dolly as the launch of its tour in all printed marketing materials.

This is the third year in a row that a show has launched a tour in Cleveland, so I don't see why it would be any different. There's no need to do tech out-of-town before arriving.

[IdinaBellFoster]

sbflyfan said: "Theatricality said: "Utica, NY has a “secret show” being announced next month as a part of their 2018-2019 season. I would not be surprised one bit if Dolly will be teching here before it’s opening."

Cleveland has been advertising Hello Dolly as the launch of its tour in all printed marketing materials.

This is the third year in a row that a show has launched a tour in Cleveland, so I don't see why it would be any different. There's no need to do tech out-of-town before arriving."

Producers have been tech-ing/soft-opening their tours in NYS for the past few years due to a massive tax credit. From the sounds of it, DOLLY will just be doing that all in Cleveland, but I see where sbflyfan was going. 

[SmokeyLady]

Why would it need to be a secret?

[n2nbaby]

SmokeyLady said: "Why would it need to be a secret?"

They actually said “our opening show is TOO BIG that it can’t be announced until July!” I agree the only thing that makes any logical sense is Dolly, but we will see.

[BwayJudd]

You were correct about Utica!

https://twitter.com/benmdennis/status/1012346951424249857?s=21

[Theatricality]

BwayJudd said: "You were correct about Utica!

https://twitter.com/benmdennis/status/1012346951424249857?s=21"

 

It feels good to be right! Haha. I didn’t know officially but I had a really good feeling. I’ll be there the first night. Can’t wait!

[n2nbaby]

So happy to have the best Broadway show currently running in my own back yard (kind of, I’m in Syracuse). I saw the show three times (twice with Bette, once with Bernadette) and will be seeing Bette one last time on August 15th.

I will absolutely be making both shows in Utica and can’t wait to see what Buckley does with the role. I am even more excited to see who this cast is going to consist of now! It has to be announced soon, right?

I just hope it’s as magical as the Broadway production, who consistently fills me with so much joy and makes so many happy tears fall from my eyes. I’m so overjoyed by this news!!

[dmwnc1959]

Just got word from a friend that for Playhouse Square donors tickets go on sale 7/11 at 10 am, and for non-donors the sale starts July 27th at 11am.

VERY EXCITED!!! :)

[dmwnc1959]

Deleted (combined two posts into the one above).

[Auggie27]

Having just seen the Peters iteration, I'm more confident that Buckley will pull this off.  I had feared the Zaks staging wouldn't translate when the role was handed from Midler to Peters. But I thought both women -- and they are nothing alike -- worked equally well. Buckley isn't a comic, but she can be droll.  She's the most matronly -- no other word works as shorthand -- of the four in this staging, so she'll have a different presence.  But I suspect she's going to stretch with Zaks.  She'll sing the hell out of it, surely.

[dmwnc1959]

The National Tour in Cleveland runs from Sunday Sept. 30th thru Sunday Oct. 21st. I have purchased tickets to see it Saturday Oct. 6th for the matinee performance, Mezzanine Row E, at the reasonable cost of $101.25 including taxes and fees, etc.

87 Days and Counting!!! :)

 

[dmwnc1959]

One thing that will be interesting seeing this tour, is how well they progress through each city in fine-tuning the timing of the delivery, develop little subtleties that make it their own, and grow into the roles.

Bernadette Peters and Victor Garber worked sooooo well together, and I can’t wait to see how Bette Midler and David Hyde Pierce compare.

[Papi2013]

dmwnc1959 said: "One thing that will be interesting seeing this tour, is how well they progress through each city in fine-tuning the timing of the delivery, develop little subtleties that make it their own, and grow into the roles.

Bernadette Peters and Victor Garber worked sooooo well together, and I can’t wait to see how Bette Midler and David Hyde Pierce compare.

"

That’s the case with every show.

[dmwnc1959]

Papi2013 said: "That’s the case with every show."

I wonder, some more so than others? This beloved revival has quite a pedigree over many decades of legends playing the staring role of Dolly Levi. I’m much more intrigued by this than say the National Tours of “Anastasia”, “Come From Away”, and “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”, which I have tickets for all as well since they were part of my season package. Of the 13 shows I have booked between now and next May, “Hello, Dolly!” in NYC and Cleveland, as well as “My Fair Lady” at the Lincoln Center, and “Hamilton” next week in Cleveland and again in Pittsburgh in January, are my most anticipated. 

 

[nealb1]

Very exciting!

[dmwnc1959]

It appears that rehearsals have started for the tour? Found this on Betty Buckely’s Twitter feed, the “best boys” referring to her horses...

“Hanging with my best boys on my last day home before I fly to NYC tomorrow to start rehearsals for the “Hello, Dolly!” tour starting in Sept.” - Betty Buckley, July 14, 2018

No mention of casting, which must be complete by now? 

[sbflyfan]

dmwnc1959 said: "It appears that rehearsals have started for the tour? Found this on Betty Buckely’s Twitter feed, the “best boys” referring to her horses...

“Hanging with my best boys on my last day home before I fly to NYC tomorrow to start rehearsals for the “Hello, Dolly!” tour starting in Sept.” - Betty Buckley, July 14, 2018

No mention of casting, which must be complete by now?"

Sometimes casting ends up being fine-tuned during the rehearsal process, too. And with Betty Lynn, there are occasional... "creative differences."  We'll probably get an announcement in a month or so once everything's settled.

I'm trying to decide if I want to attend the September 30th performance or just wait a week or so into the run in Cleveland so I can see it twice in one day.  I was excited to attend the first performance of the tour, but that's a moot point now, thanks to Utica, NY.

[dmwnc1959]

sbflyfan said: "Sometimes casting ends up being fine-tuned during the rehearsal process, too. And with Betty Lynn, there are occasional... "creative differences." We'll probably get an announcement in a month or so once everything's settled.

I'm trying to decide if I want to attend the September 30th performance or just wait a week or so into the run in Cleveland so I can see it twice in one day. I was excited to attend the first performance of the tour, but that's a moot point now, thanks to Utica, NY."

 

I already have a ticket purchased for Oct. 6th, and was thinking about buying another after I get back from seeing “Hamilton” in Cleveland this coming Friday, basically when general sales open up on the 27th. I’d love to see this twice as well, closer to the end of the run if I can find a date that doesn’t conflict with my Pittsburgh season tickets (“Anastasia” is on the 21st, the last day of the “Hello, Dolly!” Cleveland run).

 

[dmwnc1959]

https://mobile.twitter.com/BettyBuckley/status/1018715153712517120