Hello Dolly starring Carolee Carmello

[DAME]

Has anyone seen her in it?  Any reports?

[cbj97]

I'm seeing it in their next tour stop! I'll make sure to report back after!

[PutonyourWarPaint]

Where is Joan Marcus?!?!?

[fashionguru_23]

I was upset that Toronto wasn't getting the tour during the first round, but I am thrilled we get Carolee in the spring!

[Call_me_jorge]

PutonyourWarPaint said: "Where is Joan Marcus?!?!?"

I don’t believe Joan Marcus is Hello, Dolly’s photographer. It’s Julieta Cervantes. But yes! Where are the new production photos with Carmello and co.!

[Dollypop]

DAME said: "Has anyone seen her in it? Any reports?"

Hopefully I'll be well enough to see it in Philly. I want to see it 5 times there. That will bring me up to 99 times. I'm saving the 100th time for a time when my grandkids can join me and we can really celebrate afterwards.

[Dollypop]

Double post. Sorry.

[DAME]

Surely someone has seen her in it by now.

[Call_me_jorge]

DAME said: "Surely someone has seen her in it by now."

It’s in Kansas City... I doubt there are many members of the board from there.

[msmp]

Call_me_jorge said: "PutonyourWarPaint said: "Where is Joan Marcus?!?!?"

I don’t believe Joan Marcus is Hello, Dolly’s photographer. It’sJulieta Cervantes. But yes! Where are the new production photos with Carmello and co.!"

A fine question. The website (at least as of last night) was still replete with the Betty Buckley photos...

[Melissa25]

Can’t wait to catch Carolee in Hartford In November.  

[bplus]

Seeing it tonight in Kansas City! It’s at Starlight Theatre, which is outdoors, and storms are predicted. Hope the weather holds- really looking forward to seeing not only Carolee Carmello, but also Analisa Leaming and Daniel Beeman.

[Robbie2]

Gonna rain do the cancell shows when it rains?

Kansas City, MO Hourly Weather

6:00 PM

SAT

Heavy Thunderstorms71°71°

80%

88%E 7 mph

7:00 PM

SAT

Thunderstorms71°71°

70%

86%E 7 mph

8:00 PM

SAT

Thunderstorms71°71°

70%

85%E 8 mph

9:00 PM

SAT

Thunderstorms71°73°

80%

84%ENE 8 mph

10:00 PM

SAT

Thunderstorms71°72°

70%

85%ESE 8 mph

[bplus]

They only cancel if it is severe weather, otherwise it is rain or shine. 
Have watched shows in the rain there before. Last night our storms came in a few hours later than predicted. Hoping maybe the same happens tonight.

[Robbie2]

Have FUN -1st time seeing Dolly? Hope the rain is not severe...regardless you're in for a BIG treat :)

report back on CC

 

[VotePeron]

The show cancelled Act 2 last night due to weather, per Instagram.

[bowtie7]

Sad for the new cast members to have to start the 2nd year of the tour at such a strange/non-conforming theatre. And then the move to the huge barn in St Louis next week. (For those familiar with the Kansas City theatre--it looks like it has a full fly house (and the full stage is covered), but where is the orchestra?

[bplus]

We already have rain here in KC- not looking too good for tonight’s show. Showtime is 8 pm. Starlight is a large outdoor theatre, , KC’s version of the MUNY. The orchestra pit is underneath the stage. The stage is completely covered. Carolee Carmello did a local interview on a show called Talkin’ With Taylor, if anyone wants to google it. 

[bplus]

Light rain, but curtain up in a couple of minutes! Excited to see the show.

[Call_me_jorge]

When a show is cancelled at the starlight, who covers the cost? The venue or the show?

[SouthernCakes]

What a strange venue to create.

[bplus]

All the stars aligned, and we were able to see Hello Dolly in its entirety! The rain stopped about 20 minutes in. Carolee Carmello was FABULOUS as Dolly! It was hard to believe she just joined the tour in Kansas City on Thursday night, so this was only her 3rd performance in the role. She definitely had the moxie to head up the show! Very impressed with her singing, acting, and I was surprised at how well she moved and danced! She made it look effortless. Never missed a line, never out of breath, always in her sparkly, happy Dolly persona. I was sitting in orchestra 1, row D, center of row,so I could see every expression. She was so expressive and just darling interacting with all the waiters. Her costumes were GORGEOUS/ fit her perfectly! My favorite song she sang was the first half closer, When the Parade Passes By. I looked up her age, and she is 57, so having the stamina to do 8 shows a week should not be a problem for her.
I truly LOVED the show- this was no “cut rate” tour- this was a full out, opulent spectacle! The sets were gorgeous and so detailed! I LOVED Mrs. Molloy’s Hat Shop, Harmonia Gardens Restaurant, and the full-size train! Costume colors were bright and gorgeous for all of the cast.
One thing I noticed in the program is that they bring along their conductor, keyboard players, trumpet,and percussionists. Then, there is a large section of local musicians- reeds, trumpets, trombones, acoustic bass, violin, cello- 15 local musicians. The orchestra sounded terrific and I thought it was cool that 15 local musicians were able to be a part of Hello Dolly.
I also want to give a shout out to Analisa Leaming as Irene Molloy and Daniel Beeman as Cornelius Hackl. They were both fantastic in their roles and it was such a treat for me to get to watch them. My son performed with Analisa in The Sound of Music (Starlight)and my daughter was in Violet with Daniel ( Spinning Tree KC) several years back.
As far as who pays when Starlight cancels, I have always heard it is Starlight, as they have contracted with the touring company to come no matter what. I will say, their policy is rain or shine, and they do not cancel very often at all... it would have to be an extreme situation, such as lightning or hail, and even then they might just do an hour delay. We were very lucky tonight that the rain stopped and we got to see the whole show! So happy.
To Southern Cakes, it may seem like a strange venue, but there used to be lots of big outdoor theatres all over the country. Most are gone now, except for Starlight Theatre and the Muny. Starlight opened in June 1951, and seats 7,958. It’s a really fun summer tradition for Kansas Citians. Usually they don’t do shows this late in the season. We do also have the Music Hall and The Kauffman Center - Broadway tours come through those venues, also. They are much smaller than Starlight.
Thanks to all who commented! It was a really fun night seeing Hello Dolly, and I really thought Carolee Carmello killed it!!!

[Chowd95]

bowtie7 said: "Sad for the new cast members to have to start the 2nd year of the tour at such a strange/non-conforming theatre. And then the move to the huge barn in St Louis next week. (For those familiar with the Kansas City theatre--it looks like it hasa full fly house (and the full stage is covered), but where is the orchestra?"

I wouldn't say it's sad that the second stop is St. Louis. It may be a barn, but it's one of the most gorgeous barns in the country and the show will play to mostly packed audiences for two weeks.

[FANtomFollies]

bplus - thank you so much for the wonderful detailed review! I'm looking up pictures of Starlight and it looks like quite a unique place to see a show indeed. Do you know what the ticket pricing structure for Dolly was? The seats in the back do seem VERY far away and I would love to know how much those would cost.

[bplus]

FANtomFollies, you are welcome! There are 8 different price points at Starlight. The very front seats- Producer’s Circle - are $149. I think those are just too close- you can see into the orchestra pit. The front orchestra seats where I sat were $90. Midway back is $45, and the back section is $14. It is very difficult to see from the back seats, but they did add two large screens a few years ago that flank the stage. They zoom in on those screens, so the people farther back can use those to get a better view.