Hello, Dolly! - London Palladium (2024)

Michael Harrison getting his money's worth from using previous assets.

I agree with the Ermengarde character point. She's driving me crazy.
Also, compared with the time wasted due to the video backdrop, I would rather see a non-stop show without the backdrop, as it didn't serve much in the show.
That said, it is wonderful to see a musical staged on such a scale. I treasure every time I see a musical of its kind.

Same, she was great.

According to a Tweet that I read, Bernadette Peters was in the house watching last night.

I wonder if the producers want to extend the run, and asked Bernadette Peters to take over the role. I mean, she could have just been there as an audience member but it is curious.

There's shows already scheduled for after Hello, Dolly! so extending isn't happening.

And Imelda could teach her how to act 😆

I went to see Wednesday’s matinee (7th August), but I have only just had chance to post my thoughts. I once saw an (awful) amateur production of this show, but have very little memory of it. I have never seen the film and do not know the piece itself very well at all. This is my first professional production, so I am coming to it relatively fresh.

The material itself is really not for me. I love an older show - THE KING AND I with Kelli O’Hara at the same theatre was one of the highlights of that year for me. I count MY FAIR LADY as one of my favourite shows of all time. CAROUSEL is one of the most glorious scores ever written. HELLO DOLLY by comparison was old fashioned (gender politics anyone?), plodding (the plot is paper thin) and the songs (whilst catchy) grind the show to a halt, and do not really progress the plot in any conceivable fashion. They also seemed to go on and on ad nauseaum (even the title number where I was thinking - just let the woman eat!) One other example was Horace’s song at the start of Act 2, which was a terrible way to begin.

I was bored through most of the first act, and didn’t really laugh at any of the comedy. (Ermengarde’s shtick became particularly grating after the third or fourth time). The second act picked up for me though. I don’t know if this was because it was genuinely more well written, or if I just got into it. There were moments I did laugh. However, it still went on too long.

With all that being said, I felt that the production itself was generally strong, and had one or two thrilling moments. ‘Put On Your Sunday Clothes’ built to a real show-stopper, particularly with the fantastic train set piece. ‘Before The Parade Passes By’ was thrilling. The title number was well staged with the use of the staircase, and I found it quite moving (although this was more for Imelda’s acting). The last scene between Dolly and Horace was beautifully done, although I felt that Horace’s declaration of love for Dolly came out of nowhere. He hadn’t shown any inclination at all throughout the rest of the show. My dad who was with me, felt like he did love her from the beginning though, but was just kidding himself. These movements gave tingles down the back of the spine, and tears in the eyes. I just wish the rest of it held up.

The choreography was good, but I wanted a bit more energy and attack a la a proper big Broadway show. If you look at an American import like THE BOOK OF MORMON, the choreography is full of so much energy, attack and general Broadway ‘pazzaz’. The choreography in HELLO DOLLY was lacking slightly by comparison.

Imelda was a powerhouse as always, finding real depth in the character of Dolly. I found her performance genuinely moving, especially when relating anything to the deceased husband.

Jenna Russell was too old for the role alongside the Cornelius of Harry Hepple. I know that there are couples with large age gaps, but this just looked wrong, and I didn’t really buy it. Tyrone Huntley also did not look 17. They should have just changed his age in the script and this would not have been an issue. The cast all gave very strong performances though, doing their best with the material.

There were some fantastic set pieces (like the train I have mentioned above), but otherwise the stage looked a little sparse at points. I did like the motorised set changes though.

The band sounded wonderful. It was nice to hear such a large orchestra outside of a concert presentation. The ensemble also sounded great when all singing together.

Overall, I was just thinking ‘why’ throughout. What is the point in reviving this show, other than as a relic of a time gone by. A four-star production of a two-star show. This therefore evens out at about three stars for me.

Have a look at the ticket availability for the next few weeks

Some performances have 80% tickets unsold

It’s pretty appalling and I dread to think how much of a loss they have made on this

Just shows that names and reviews are not always enough

A couple of dates are indeed looking rough... Stage the title number properly, I guess?

4 stars from me, not my sort of show but a pretty good production all in. I agree the choreography could have been punchier and grander at times. Imelda is incredible. I'm a die-hard for Jenna Russell but she probably was slightly too old for this. The train, the set, the production values generally have to be applauded. An extremely gentle but pleasant night at the theatre!

I absolutely adored this. It was sheer joy from start to end and I was smiling throughout. I was surprised by just how funny it was - I was expecting a few chuckles here and there but I thought it was hysterical in places.

Imelda Staunton is a true star. I felt every word!

And I don't think I have ever seen an audience response like it at the end: whoops and cheers and cries for more.

I'd go again if I could.