Betty Buckley is ready to descend the Harmonia Gardens staircase as Hello, Dolly! kicks off its national tour September 25 and 26 at the Stanley Theatre in Utica, New York. The Tony Award winner takes on the title role of Dolly Gallagher Levi in the road production, which will celebrate its official opening with a Cleveland, Ohio, engagement beginning September 30.
Joining Buckley are Tony nominee Lewis J. Stadlen (The Front Page) as Horace Vandergelder, Nic Rouleau (The Book of Mormon) as Cornelius Hackl, Analisa Leaming (School of Rock) as Irene Molloy, Jess LeProtto (Carousel) as Barnaby Tucker, Kristen Hahn (A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder) as Minnie Fay, Garrett Hawe (Carousel) as Ambrose Kemper, Morgan Kirner as Emerngarde, and Jessica Sheridan (Follies) as Ernestina.
CURRENT AND UPCOMING NATIONAL TOURS
Rounding out the company are ensemble members Maddy Apple, Daniel Beeman, Brittany Bohn, Giovanni Bonaventura, Elizabeth Broadhurst, Whitney Cooper, Julian DeGuzman, Wally Dunn, Alexandra Frohlinger, Dan Horn, Corey Hummerston, Madison Johnson,Nathan Keen, Beth Kirkpatrick, Ben Lanham, Ian Liberto, Kyle Samuel, Scott Shedenhelm, Timothy Shew, Maria Cristina Slye, Cassie Austin Taylor, Davis Wayne, Brandon L. Whitmore, and Connor Wince.
Following the Cleveland engagement, the tour will go on to play Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., Boston, and more.
Buckley earned a Tony Award for her performance as Grizabella in the original production of Cats, having previously appeared on Broadway in Pippin and 1776. Her additional memorable performances include the title role in The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Margaret White in the short-lived cult favorite musical Carrie (having previously played gym teacher Miss Collins in the film adaptation of the Stephen King novel), Sunset Boulevard (both on Broadway and in the West End, for which she received an Olivier nomination), and Triumph of Love (earning her a second Tony nod).
The staging, directed by Jerry Zaks, features choreography by Warren Carlyle, sets and costumes by Santo Loquasto (winning a Tony for the latter), lighting design by Natasha Katz, sound design by Scott Lehrer, and orchestrations by Larry Hochman.
The Scott Rudin production, which saw Bette Midler, Bernadette Peters, and Donna Murphy don the iconic red headdress, ended its run at Broadway's Shubert Theatre August 25.
