The Tony-winning Broadway revival of Hello, Dolly! celebrated its official opening night for new stars Bernadette Peters and Victor Garber February 22 at the Shubert Theatre. The two assume the title role of Dolly Gallagher Levi and Horace Vandergelder, respectively, taking over for Bette Midler and David Hyde Pierce.
Also new to the cast are Olivier nominee Charlie Stemp and Molly Griggs in their Broadway debuts as Barnaby Tucker and Minnie Fay. The quartet joined the company January 20.
Critics recently revisited the production; read what they had to say about the new headliners below.
Broadway News (Charles Isherwood)
Entertainment Weekly (Kelly Connolly)
The Hollywood Reporter (Frank Scheck)
New York Daily News (Joe Dziemianowicz)
The New York Times (Jesse Green)
The Washington Post (Peter Marks)
The cast also includes Tony nominee Kate Baldwin as Irene Molloy, Will Burton as Ambrose Kemper, Melanie Moore as Ermengarde, and Tony nominee Jennifer Simard as Ernestina.
Gavin Creel, who won a Tony Award for his performance as Cornelius Hackl, will take a brief leave of absence while recovering from back surgery. Tony nominee Santino Fontana (Broadway’s upcoming Tootsie) will fill in with a limited engagement beginning March 13. Understudy Christian Dante White has been playing Cornelius at recent performances.
Read: HOW TONY WINNER BERNADETTE PETERS IS MAKING DOLLY HER OWN
Peters last appeared on Broadway as Sally Durant Plummer in the 2011 revival of Follies. A Tony winner for Song and Dance and Annie Get Your Gun (plus an honorary award in 2012), her additional Broadway credits include memorable performances in A Little Night Music, Gypsy (also at the Shubert Theatre), Into the Woods, and Sunday in the Park with George. She can currently be seen on the Amazon comedy Mozart in the Jungle (the show's fourth season premiered February 16) and CBS All Access' The Good Fight.
