Still Going Strong: Richard Skipper Celebrates 60 Years of Hello, Dolly! at New York City’s Laurie Beechman Theatre (directed by James Beaman with Musical Direction by Don Pardo) opened with a video montage of all the famous “Dolly’s” throughout history.  Even those in the audience who are not dyed-in-the-wool fans of the show (And, indeed, it would be quite bold to attend this show if you were NOT a dyed-in-the-wool fan…!) would recognize many of the legendary women who appeared on the screen in all their Dolly-esque glory: Carol Channing, Ethel Merman, Bette Midler, and Pearl Bailey (whose birthday it was that night) among them.  However, the audience also learned of many of the other women who stepped into Dolly Gallagher Levi’s slippers through the decades: a partial list included Sally Struthers, Donna Murphy, Phyllis Diller, Betty Grable, and MANY more.  From the beginning, the audience knew that this was no less than a joyous celebration of one of American musical theater’s most beloved characters of all time.  Who better to create this tribute than entertainer Richard Skipper?  Skipper’s website CallOnDolly.com is dedicated to celebrating the many women (and a few men!) who have played our “Dolly” through the decades– as well as those who have supported them.

Even before singing a single note or sharing a single Dolly anecdote, Skipper had an advantage with his new show from the beginning.  The music of Hello, Dolly!— most predominantly, the instantly recognizable title track– has been cemented into pop culture since the musical first made its debut in Detroit on November 18, 1963.  The show would move to Broadway in 1964, winning 10 Tony Awards including Best Musical and Best Actress in a Musical for Carol Channing. The awards earned set a record which the play held for 37 years.  If Skipper had chosen to perform a 90-minute revue of Dolly!‘s iconic music, the attendees at the Laurie Beechman Theatre that night would have been very satisfied, as they were when Skipper opened the show with World, Take Me Back.  He later gave the attendees I Put My Hand In and It Takes a Woman.  But Skipper’s show is more than a showcase for his impressive singing and hosting talents, and even more than a celebration of the eternal music itself.  Far, far more… For starts, it is an exploration of just what made the musical so everlasting. Skipper’s Hello, Dolly! tribute is also part historical retrospective, part talk show with Skipper’s exclusive Special Guests, and part multimedia experience, complete with video interviews and some eye-popping vintage photographs.  In Skipper’s hands, it’s all done with great detail, great respect, great humor, and great L-O-V-E– all bolstered by Skipper’s well-documented affinity and knowledge for the Golden Age of Hollywood and Broadway.  Early on in the show, Skipper shared a little bit of history of Dolly Levi.  Decades before her story was musicalized, she was the protagonist of the 1938 play The Merchant of Yonkers.  But wait… There’s more: The Merchant of Venice had its origins in an 1835 (!) one-act farce A Day Well Spent.  Starting with these origins, Skipper continued the story of Dolly with more juicy tidbits about the evolution of the show, which included video segments with many men and women involved with Hello, Dolly! through the years.  This wide variety of stars ranged from Sondra Lee (the original “Minnie Fay”), to Tovah Feldshuh (who played “Dolly” in 2006) and Ruta Lee, still looking glamorous at 88 and as funny as ever as she recorded her video from her Palm Springs home.  Needless to say, the sories about their involvement in Hello, Dolly! were no less than fascinating. Marilyn Maye, the hardest woman working in cabaret who has recorded the songs from Dolly!, was also in the audience, as was actress/singer Anita Gillette.  Roger Preston Smith, who has been in several productions of Dolly!, was also in attendance that evening.

Now, about that “talk show” element of the evening which I mentioned before:   The Emmy Award-nominated soprano singer and actress Lorna Dallas spoke with Skipper about Danny La Rue, a singer and entertainer who was also famous for his celebrity impersonations.  One of the rare cases of a male actor playing “Dolly”, La Rue played Ms. Levi in 1982.  Of course, Skipper wouldn’t let a mega-talent like Ms. Dallas leave without singing– so the audience got to hear the songstress perform breathtaking versions of Love is Only Love (from the film version of Hello, Dolly!) and Ribbons Down My Back.  Audiences were left speechless. 

Richard Skipper enjoyed a one-of-a-kind relationship with history’s emblematic “Dolly”, Carol Channing.  He shared the story about how they met and how they became true friends, in between singing the appropriate It Only Takes a Moment.  Skipper’s personal stories about Ms. Channing were no less than priceless.

Present in the audience that evening were many members of the New York City nightlife scene. A partial list of attendees included:  Kati Neiheisel, Maria Corsaro, Natasha Castillo, Mardie Millit, Becca Kidwell. Tree Sequoia, Sidney Myer, Goldie Dver, Julie Budd, and Deborah Zecher. I won’t give away the conclusion of Skipper’s show, except to say that it was another well-known favorite from Dolly!— and Mr. Skipper preceded the song with the touching monologue that came before it in the play. (Have you guesses yet?) In the play, the monologue is a “love letter” of sorts, and the choice to send off the attendees of the Laurie Beechman Theatre that night proved to be very symbolic: The evening was a love letter to his audience, to all the people involved with Dolly! through the years, and to the universal, transgenerational legacy of Hello, Dolly! itself.  Here’s to another 60 years!

Still Going Strong! Richard Skipper Celebrates 60 Years of Hello, Dolly! will continue on April 19th at Revolution Stage Company – 611 S Palm Canyon Drive #15, Palm Springs, CA 92264.  For tickets and more information, visit SPECIAL EVENTS | Revolution (revolutionstagecompany.com)

Also visit http://www.RichardSkipper.com and http://www.CallOnDolly.com

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