The Story of “Hello Dolly”.
“Hello Dolly” Book by Michael Stewart,
Music & Lyrics by Jerry Herman, Based on
the play “The Matchmaker” and by kind
permission of MusicScope and by
arrangement with Stage Musicals Ltd of New
York.
“HELLO DOLLY” Is the story of
Mrs. Levi`s efforts to marry Horace
Vandergelder, the well – known half – a –
millionaire, so that she can send his
money circulating like rainwater, the way
her late husband Ephraim Levi taught her.
Along the way she also succeeds in
matching up the young and beautiful Widow
Molloy with Vandgergelder`s head clerk,
Cornelius Hackl; Cornelius`s assistant
Barnaby Tucker with Mrs Molloy`s assistant
Minnie Fay and the struggling artist
Ambrose Kemper with Mr Vandergelder`s
weeping niece, Ermengarde. Mrs Levi tracks
Vandergelder to his hay and feed store in
Yonkers, then by train back to Mrs
Molloy`s hat shop in New York, out into
the streets of the city where they are all
caught up in the great Fourteenth Street
Association Parade and then to the most
elegant and expensive restaurant in the
town, the Harmonia Gardens, where Dolly is
greeted by the waiters, cooks, doormen and
wine stewards in one of the most famous
musical numbers in the history of American
Musical Comedy – “HELLO DOLLY!” (Barbara
Streisand was Mrs. Levi in the film of
“Hello Dolly” and made the Musical Number
her own. Walter Matthau played Mr
Vandergelder, Michael Crawford played
Cornelius Hackl).
What happens in the end? Dolly gets her
man, of course. And he is delighted she
caught him. Dolly leaves the stage at the
end of Act Two with a wink to the audience
as she takes a peek into Vandergelder`s
bulging cash register and promises that
his fortune will soon be put to good use.
She quotes her late husband Ephraim: “Money,
pardon the expression, is like manure.
It`s not worthy a thing unless it`s spread
around, encouraging young things to grow”.
The show – stopping musical numbers in
this sparkling Musical include:
“Put on your Sunday clothes”,
“It takes a woman”,
“Before the parade passes by”,
“Elegance”
and
“Hello Dolly! The Waiters`Galop”.
