THEATRE UNDER THE STARS
www.TUTS.com
Founded by Frank M. Young 1968

PRESENTS

HELLO DOLLY!

February 26 - March 9, 2008
at the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts

LESLIE UGGAMS STARS IN TUTS DAZZLING PRODUCTION OF HELLO, DOLLY

HELLO DOLLY

Dolly
Hello, Harry
Well, Hello Louie
It's so nice to be back home where I belong
You're looking swell, Manny
I can tell, Danny
You're still glowin', you're still crowin'
You're still goin' strong
For the band's playin'
One of my old favorite songs from way back when
So bridge that gap, fellas
Find me an empty lap, fellas
Dolly'll never go away again

Waiters
Hello Dolly!
Well, Hello Dolly!
It's so nice to have you back where you belong
You're looking swell, Dolly,
We can tell, Dolly,
You're still glowin', you're still crowin'
You're still goin' strong.
We feel the room swayin'
For the band's playin'
One of your old fav'rite songs from 'way back when

Dolly
So here's my hat fellas
I'm stayin' where I'm at, fellas

Waiters
Promise you'll never go away again

Dolly
I went away from the lights of Fourteenth Street
And into my personal haze
But now that I'm back in the lights of l4th Street
Tomorrow will be brighter than the good old days

Waiters
Those good old days
Hello, Well Hello Dolly
Well hello, hey look there's Dolly

Dolly
Glad to see you Hank, let's thank my lucky star

Waiters
Your lucky star

Dolly
You're lookin' great, Stanley
Lose some weight, Stanley?
Dolly's overjoyed and overwhelmed and over par

Waiters
I hear the ice tinkle
See the lights twinkle
And you still get glances from us handsome men
So...

Dolly
Golly gee, fellas
Find me a vacant knee, fellas

Waiters
Dolly'll never go away again

DANCE

Waiters
Well, well hello, Dolly
Well hello, Dolly
It's so nice to have you back where you belong
You're lookin' swell, Dolly
We can tell, Dolly
You're still glowin', you're still crowin'
You're still goin' strong
I hear the ice tinkle
See the lights twinkle
And you still get glances from us handsome men
So...

Dolly
Wow wow wow, fellas

Waiters
Hey, Yeh!

Dolly
Look at the old girl now, fellas

Waiters
Wow!
All
Dolly'll never go away again.

HOUSTON, TEXAS...Well Hello Dolly! It’s so nice to have you back where you belong! Theatre Under The Stars proudly presents the grand dame musical Hello Dolly starring Leslie Uggams February 26-March 9 2008 at the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts located at 800 Bagby at Walker in Houston Texas. With a book by the multi-Tony-award-winning team Michael Stewart (42nd Street, Bye, Bye, Birdie) and lyrics and music by Jerry Herman (Mame, La Cage Aux Folles), Hello, Dolly features unforgettable songs including Before The Parade Passes By, It Only Takes A Moment and Hello, Dolly!  Featuring a lush score and winner of ten Tony Awards Hello Dolly will come to life on stage combining the glamour from the film, elaborate costumes, and show-stopping dance numbers.

Tony and Emmy Award winning actress / singer Leslie Uggams returns to TUTS to star as “Dolly Gallagher Levi.” Most recently, Uggams thrilled Broadway audiences performing as Ethel Thayer opposite James Earl Jones in the revival of Ernest Thompsons On Golden Pond. That performance came on the heels of her stunning portrayal of the off-beat society heiress Muzzy Van Hossmere in the Tony-award-winning musical Thoroughly Modern Millie. Among her many accomplishments, Uggams won the Tony Award for her role in Hallelujah, Baby in 1968. Previously at TUTS, Uggams starred in the 1989 production of Anything Goes as Reno Sweeney and in the 2001 production of Into the Woods as The Witch.  It was her portrayal as Kizzy in the most watched dramatic show in TV history, Alex Haley’s Roots that won her worldwide acclaim as a dramatic actress, including the Critics Choice Award for Best Supporting Actress in 1978, her Emmy nomination for Best Leading actress and a Golden Globe Nomination.

TUTS’ Associate Artistic Director, Roy Hamlin, will serve as Director with Randy Slovacek as Choreographer. For TUTS, Hamlin has directed A Wonderful Life, 110 in the Shade, Anything Goes, Brigadoon, and The Wizard of Oz. Other Houston directing credits include Call Me Madam, Bunnicula, and Underneath the Lintel with Main Street Theatre; Baby with Stages Repertory; and The Miss Firecracker Contest for the historic Strand Theatre in Galveston. As a performer, Slovacek appeared on Broadway in Hello, Dolly! starring Carol Channing. Slovacek’s credits include choreographing and supervising the National touring company of Hello, Dolly starring Carol Channing. Other choreography credits include the Off-Broadway, World Premiere of Plane Crazy, companies of A Chorus Line, and regional productions of They’re Playing Our Song, Promises Promises, and Chicago among others.
 

 
Photo courtesy of TUTS.
 

The famous story of Hello, Dolly! was taken from Thornton Wilder’s 1938 play, The Merchant of Yonkers, which was revised and retitled as The Matchmaker in 1955.

The original Broadway production, directed and choreographed by Gower Champion, opened on January 16, 1964 at the St. James Theatre, where it ran for 2,844 performances. The stellar cast included Carol Channing, David Burns, Charles Nelson Reilly, Eileen Brennan and Alice Playten.

Although facing stiff competition from Funny Girl with Barbra Streisand, Hello, Dolly! swept the Tony Awards in 1964, winning awards in 10 categories (out of 11 nominations), a record that remained unbroken for 37 years until The Producers won 12 Tonys in 2001.

Single tickets for TUTS’ production of Hello, Dolly! ($29-$93) are available to the public by phone at (713) 558-8887 or outside the Houston area at (888) 558-3882; or in person at the Theatre Under The Stars Box Office, (800 Bagby at Walker, Mon-Fri 9am-6pm, Sat-Sun 11am-4pm); or on-line at www.tuts.com. Audio described performances are available March 9 at 2 p.m.; open captioning March 9 at 7:30 p.m. Wheelchair accessible. Student discount tickets are available one hour before performance. Group discounts available for 15 or more and may be purchased by calling (713) 558-8888.

TUTS 2007-2008 “40th Anniversary” Season is sponsored by UBS Investment Bank. Sponsors of TUTS’ production of Hello, Dolly! include Chase, Locke Lord Bissell & Liddell LLP, Schlumberger, and Ballard Exploration Company, Inc. Air transportation is provided by Continental Airlines, the official airline of Theatre Under The Stars. Additional support is provided by St. Luke’s Episcopal Health System, the Official Healthcare Partner of Theatre Under The Stars. Media sponsors are ABC-13 and Houston Chronicle.

Founded in 1968, Theatre Under The Stars (TUTS) is Houston’s acclaimed non-profit musical theatre company and is currently under the direction of President and CEO John C. Breckenridge. Dedicated to producing new works and classic masterpieces, the 2007-2008 “Dream of a Season” celebrates TUTS’ 40th
Anniversary Season of bringing world-class musical theatre to Houston audiences. TUTS was the first theatrical organization in Houston to perform free to the public in 1968 at Miller Outdoor Theatre in Hermann Park, and is the only Houston arts organization that has performed there free to the public every year since the building opened. Since its founding by Frank M. Young, TUTS has produced more than 300 musicals including many local, national and world premieres such as Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, as well as International tours including Debbie Reynolds in The Unsinkable Molly Brown, Juliet Prowse in Mame, Robert Goulet in Man of La Mancha, the Tony Award-winning revival of Carousel and the Deaf West Theatre production of Big River. As a way to continue the tradition of musical theatre, TUTS’ Humphreys School of Musical Theatre provides instruction and stage experience for more than 1,700 students annually through both The Academy and The Studio, which allow students to flourish in a year-round schedule of classes. Housed in the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts, TUTS also annually presents the Tommy Tune Awards, honoring the best and brightest in Houston’s high school musical theatre programs.

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Photo courtesy of  Theatre Under The Stars