National Tour NewsBetty Buckley Ends Run in National Tour of Hello, Dolly! August 25The Tony winner will be succeeded by Carolee Carmello in the Jerry Zaks–directed production of the Tony-winning revival.
By
Andrew Gans
August 25, 2019
Betty Buckley in Hello, Dolly! Julieta Cervantes
Betty Buckley descends the Harmonia Gardens staircase for the last time August 25, when she concludes her run in the national tour of the Tony-winning revival.
The Tony winner kicked off the acclaimed tour in September 2018 in Utica, New York, playing Dolly Gallagher Levi opposite 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, and Jess LeProtto (Carousel) as Barnaby Tucker. Her final performance will be at the Opera House in Boston.
Following Dolly!, Buckley has several concert engagements planned, including October 17–19 at theSegerstrom Center for the Arts’ Samueli Theater in Costa Mesa, California; November 2 at The Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills; and a March 10–21, 2020, run at New York's famed Café Carlyle.
Broadway favorite 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).
Buckley will be succeeded in the tour by three-time Tony nominee Carolee Carmello, who was most recently seen on the New York stage in Off-Broadway's Sweeney Todd. She starts matchmaking on the road September 24 at the Starlight Theatre in Kansas City, Missouri. Carmello's résumé includes Tony-nominated turns in Scandalous, Lestat, and Parade, as well as performances in Tuck Everlasting,Finding Neverland,Sister Act, The Addams Family, MammaMia!, Urinetown, Kiss Me,Kate, The Scarlet Pimpernel, 1776, Falsettos, and City of Angels.
The tour of Hello, Dolly!, 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, 2018.
The new musical follows a first-generation child of Mexican immigrants torn between joining the family garment business or embarking on her own dream of attending college in NYC.
.jpg)
