Playwright: Edward Albee, At: Steppenwolf Theatre, 1650 N. Halsted. Phone: 312-335-1650; $20-$75. Runs through: Feb. 13, 2011
Light Opera Works (LOW) tackles the iconic American musical Hello, Dolly! and they tackle it well. The familiar and catchy Jerry Herman tunes sound fresh and bright, with every lyric clear in the relatively intimate Cahn Auditorium. I have quibbles with this production, but not so many or so large as to shatter my overall enjoyment.
First, the cast is strong musically and dramatically; indeed, musically stronger than the vaunted original cast, who made up with personality what they lacked in musical skill. As Dolly Gallagher Levi, Mary Robin Roth channels neither Channing nor Streisand, making Dolly solidly her own. Deft and personable, she captures the essence of this pleasingly obnoxious woman. ("I meddle," Dolly tells us.) It's also a treat to hear Herman's slow numbers given full value by Jessye Wright and Robert Brady as Irene Molloy and Cornelius Hackl, the principal romantic couple.
Director and choreographer Rudy Hogenmiller keeps the show spinning along at a brisk pace, and borrows heavily from the signature original dance staging by Gower Champion, notably in "Put On Your Sunday Clothes," "Elegance" and "Waiters' Galop." Is this smart or a shortcut or a little of both? It certainly gives audiences what they want to see and, perhaps, subconsciously expect to see. Whatever, it's clever and difficult dance and the cast executes it surprisingly well.
The show looks good whenever the company of 30 is stretched along the width of the stage, but not so good when height or depth is required. It's then that the severe limits of Cahn Auditorium's antiquated stage become apparent. Tom Burch's scenic design pretty much is restricted to old-hat backdrops and simple flown scenic pieces, with a black curtain dropped to hide the slow scene changes while a song continues downstage. Cahn Auditorium may be LOW's greatest blessing and greatest curse.
Emily Nelson's costumes are more than up-to-the-mark, with elegant lines for the women's long dresses and shirt-waist ensembles, and dazzling splashes of color in production numbers such as "Put On Your Sunday Clothes." There's an appropriate summery tone to it all.
The 22-piece orchestra under Roger L. Bingaman is smooth and suave but a bit lacking in drama for my taste. I miss the signature banjo in the rhythm section which so notably helps propel the show's up tempo tunes, and Bingaman sometimes holds back the brass choir when one wants it to soar. It comes off as a pleasantly professional reading of the score but short on fire.
Quibbles aside, this Dolly is an effervescent New Year's Weekend show. It also retains a surprising amount of wise (and witty) philosophy from Thornton Wilder's The Matchmaker, the play upon which Dolly is based. Just listen to Dolly's monologues.