[ ON STAGE ]
Shari Lynn stars as Dolly Gallagher Levi in Diamond Head Theatre's production of "Hello, Dolly!"
Lynn and Proulx prove
a lovely musical match
Shari Lynn delivers a perfect high-octane performance as Dolly Gallagher Levi, Dennis Proulx fumes and fusses in fine style as miserly Horace Vandergelder and director/choreographer John Rampage's dancing waiters move as a well-drilled unit throughout the big number that sets up Lynn's show-stopping rendition of the title song in Diamond Head Theatre's latest revival of "Hello, Dolly!"
In short, fans of the Michael Stewart/Jerry Herman Broadway blockbuster will love this production, and will applaud DHT for finally getting it right by casting Lynn as Dolly.
"Hello, Dolly!" continues at 8 p.m. Thursdays to Saturdays, and 4 p.m. Sundays, through June 13 at Diamond Head Theatre. Tickets are $12 to 42. Call 733-0274
Lynn owns the show from the moment she delivers her first lines, and quickly wins the hearts of one and all as she sings and dances through the ever-more-demanding numbers that lead up to the show's show-stopping anthem, "Hello, Dolly!" in Act II. Lynn's performance is so engaging that it is easy to ignore the character's questionable ethics (she's hired to find a wife for a wealthy widower, but sabotages the relationship so she can marry him herself and get her hands on his money).
Proulx establishes his credentials as a first-class leading man with equal speed. His gleefully sexist rendition of "It Takes A Woman," in which Vandergelder and his downtrodden clerks agree that a woman's role is to serve as a man drudge, leaves no question that Proulx is going to be a great foil for Lynn, and that Vandergelder will be the perfect victim for Dolly's get-rich-quick scheme.
And so he is. Proulx blusters through scene after scene as a pompous man who is wealthy but impossibly cheap when it comes to paying his clerks and courting his intended bride. He is also easily manipulated by Dolly Levi.
The only thing Proulx can't do is make Vandergelder's sudden change of heart in the final moments seem like any thing other than a clumsy plot device. But then, that's exactly what it is.
The lead performances are enhanced by the talent that Rampage has cast in major secondary roles. Katie Leiva is enticingly sweet as Irene Molloy, Vandergelder's bride-to-be. Leiva's big number, "Ribbons Down My Back," is the dramatic high point of Act I as she expresses a widow's desire to be young and beautiful once more.
OK, so Irene turns out to be a gold digger as well, taking up with Cornelius Hackl (Christopher Obenchain) after Dolly bamboozles her into thinking that the penniless Hackl is richer than Vandergelder! Leiva succeeds in suggesting that Irene has a degree of guileless innocence anyway.
Obenchain plays Hackl as a 33-year-old man who is barely more mature than his teenage sidekick, Barnaby Tucker (Arthur Johansen). The fact that Obenchain is coifed and costumed to look much younger than Leiva makes Hackl's bumbling efforts to entertain a sophisticated woman all the more comical. What Hackl and Tucker don't realize is that Irene and her ditzy shop assistant, Minnie Fay (Elizabeth Ananij Harrison) are not nearly as sophisticated as they seem.
Obenchain's "It Only Takes A Moment" is the dramatic high point of Act II as Cornelius expresses the wonder of finding love for the first time, and Irene responds with her own joyous confession of love.
Johansen and Harrison -- perfectly paired as dance partners in DHT's recent "Swing!" -- are almost as impressive this time around. They stand first-and-foremost in a big dance number, and make a good couple as actors, although Johansen's Barnaby seems far too young and callow to be of interest to Minnie Fay.
Lisa Konove adds another stand-out performance as the coarse woman Dolly palms off on Vandergelder as a stand-in for Irene.
Rampage's dancing waiters bring synchronized precision to make the "Waiters Gallop" and "Hello, Dolly!" numbers visually interesting even though it appears that the items they're "serving" are glued securely to their trays. (This is musical theater, after all, not the circus!)
Musical director Donald Yap and sound designer Mikel J. Humerickhouse share credit for maintaining a perfect balance between voices and musicians. Lynn and her co-stars are heard clearly throughout, and Yap's musicians do justice to Jerry Herman's music.
Rampage brings the audience into the action by using the aisles as entrance points for several scenes and deploying performers out into the theater for others. This gives those seated in the center an opportunity to enjoy Lynn's stellar performance at close range.
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