Hello, Dolly!

Hello, Dolly! is one of those joyful shows that everybody knows and loves. With an excellent set designed by Lynne Counsel and a great graphic backdrop designed by Josh Thomas, this production by the Diamond Valley Singers is off to a good start. Meg Warren and Tamblyn Smith have kept the blocking simple and, as choreographers, have ensured that non-dancers can handle the movement reasonably well. This is a production which brings home the realization that amateur actually means “for love of” and should never be considered derogatory.

DVS give all profits to charity and their productions are driven by their love of singing, and there are indeed some fine voices on the stage. Lucy Nicolson has a charming soprano voice trained for operetta and she is an attractive and likeable Dolly Levi. She doesn’t, however, have the belting voice for which Jerry Herman created the role. Malcolm Wilton is an effective Horace Vandergelder, and clearly loves being on stage for DVS. Eleesha Higbed has an impressive mezzo voice which gives us a new take on Irene Molloy. Jesse  O’Donnell is an endearing Cornelius with a nice light touch. He does need, however, to watch his diction on lyrics….”it only” becomes “it tonly”. Amy Peterson is quite charming as Minnie Fay and Annette Dick shows marvelous stage presence  and leaves a lasting impression as Ernestina. But the top performing honours go to Josh Thomas as Barnaby Tucker. He is a triple threat and quite adorable as Barnaby. He and Annette Dick add an energy and enthusiasm which helped to raise the electricity in a production which was a little flat for the Sunday matinee. The slow pace meant that the show ran far longer than it should have.

It’s a mammoth score for the Eltham Orchestras to manage, and unfortunately there were some problems with the horn section (someone was out of tune throughout) and the violins often sounding scratchy, but one can only applaud them for taking on such a mammoth task. The biggest disappointment, however, was that there was only ONE waiter in the restaurant for Dolly to sing to. It just doesn’t work when you have a line of waitresses, especially when characters keep referring to the “waiter”.  The moral is, if you can’t cast a show, choose a different one. It was a brave effort that still entertained and well worth a visit if you are within reach.

Coral Drouyn