JOE NASUTI IS THE PHANTOM
The Maltz Jupiter Theatre is heading into the final show of its 2011-12 season with the most dazzling, joyful musical its stage has seen!
The beloved, classic musical Hello, Dolly! bursts onto the theater’s stage March 13 through April 1, directed by Tony-nominated director and choreographer Marcia Milgrom Dodge and starring Broadway veteran Vicki Lewis and Tony winner Gary Beach.
Complete with a stunning set, large orchestra and cast of 22 performers, Hello, Dolly! is packed with memorable Jerry Herman songs, including “Put On Your Sunday Clothes,” “Before the Parade Passes By” and “It Only Takes a Moment.”
This Broadway hit is sure to make everyone fall in love with America’s most beloved matchmaker, Dolly Levi.
“We are ecstatic to welcome both Vicki Lewis and Gary Beach onto the Maltz Jupiter Theatre stage,” said Andrew Kato, the theater’s artistic director. “Along with Marcia Milgrom Dodge — who last directed the favorite Anything Goes at our theatre — I can’t think of anyone better to take our audiences on a whirlwind race around New York at the turn of the 20th century. This spectacular musical adventure is a true treasure and will be sure to warm your heart.”
Based on the book by Michael Stewart, music and lyrics by Jerry Herman and Thornton Wilder’s 1955 play The Matchmaker, Hello, Dolly! became an award-winning hit musical that broke box office records and has attracted such stars as Carol Channing, Mary Martin, Pearl Bailey and Ginger Rogers in the title role.
When it first hit Broadway in 1964, Hello Dolly! dominated the Tony Awards in 10 categories, including Best Musical. The show received rave reviews and became the longest-running musical in Broadway history up to that time, running for 2,844 performances. It enjoyed three more Broadway revivals over the years, and its 1969 film was nominated for seven Academy Awards. Its musical score is in the Grammy Hall of Fame.
The New York Times wrote that the show has “qualities of freshness and imagination that are rare in the run of our machine-made musicals,” and the New York Post predicted that the show would be “an enormous popular success.”
The show has local ties, too. Its original Broadway costumes were designed by former Tequesta resident Freddy Wittop, with many that can still be seen in the permanent collection of the Costume World Broadway Collection, a theatrical museum dedicated to Broadway costuming in Pompano Beach.
“We are ecstatic to be ending our season with a large-scale, song-and-dance extravaganza that will truly excite our audiences, and hopefully whet their appetites to renew their subscriptions for our upcoming 10th anniversary season,” Kato said. “People of all ages will love this show.”
The show will also feature other recognizable stars, including Matt Loehr — who received rave reviews for the starring role in theater’s 2011 production of Crazy for You — and Aaron Bower, who also appeared in Crazy for You and received critical acclaim in the theater’s January production of Cabaret.
As a preview to the live stage production, the theater is offering a free night at the movies on Monday, Feb. 27, with the full-length movie version of Hello, Dolly!, starring Barbra Streisand. Showtime is 7 p.m. The movie is free, but advanced tickets are required. To purchase tickets, call (561) 575-2223.
Tickets to the production of Hello, Dolly! start at $43 and may be purchased by calling (561) 575-2223 or by visiting www.jupitertheatre.org. Hello, Dolly! is sponsored by Admiral’s Cove Cares Foundation.
Season subscriptions are also currently on sale for the theater’s 2012-13 10th anniversary season, with subscriptions that start at $183.
The shows featured in the Maltz Jupiter Theatre’s 2012-13 season include Amadeus, The Music Man, Singin’ in the Rain, Doubt and Thoroughly Modern Millie.
