Bette Midler’s return to Hello, Dolly! causes surge in sales
Mesmerizing performances, captivating visuals and quality entertainment is what everyone looks for in a good musical. One show that promises to offer all this and more is, Hello, Dolly! Debuting in 1964, the musical has become a global phenomenon and has been viewed by theatergoers from around the world. Hello, Dolly! has become popular thanks to the efforts of the talented cast members who outdo themselves every night.
Hello, Dolly! made a Broadway revival earlier this year and guess who is playing the part of Dolly Gallagher Levi. It’s Bette Midler. Yes, the three time Grammy winning pop megastar has made her return to Broadway.
The success of Hello, Dolly!
Based on the play, ‘The Matchmaker’ by Thornton Wilder, Hello, Dolly! is a musical which took the world by storm. The recipient of Kennedy Center Honors, Jerry Herman has composed the beautiful score for this show whereas its book is penned down by the American playwright and librettist, Michael Stewart. The musical premiered on Broadway more than fifty years ago in 1964 and immediately became a huge hit. Produced by David Merrick, it established a record of winning not one but a whopping ten Tony Awards. The record lasted for almost four decades.
Following the successful premier of Hello, Dolly! the musical went on to be performed at the West End in 1965. A couple of years later, the show’s album, ‘Hello, Dolly! An Original Cast Recording’ came out which entered the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2002. In 1969, the film adaptation of the musical was released which was nominated for seven Academy Awards out of which it won three in the categories of, the ‘Best Production Design,’ the ‘Best Sound Mixing’ and the ‘Best Original Music.’
What is it About
The tale of Hello, Dolly! revolves around a strong-willed matchmaker, Dolly Levi as she decides to move to Yonkers, New York to find a match for Horace Vandergelder. She tries everything to find a suitable match for him and even asks Horace’s niece and two clerks but all goes in vain. Finally, Dolly decides to marry him herself but only if her late husband sends her a sign to do so.
What the critics are saying
The critics have also praised, Hello, Dolly! Chris Jones from Chicago Tribune states, “No one in the building had the slightest interest in being anywhere else but in that room with this adored star, in this beloved show.” Time Out New York has also published a positive review about the musical and states, “FIVE STARS. It is, in a word, perfection.”
Bette Midler: Birth of a star
Born in Honolulu, Bette Midler is a legend. Not only has she established herself as a successful singer but the Hawaii native has also made her name in acting and film producing. She is also a comedian. As a traditional pop singer, Bette has been making the world dance to her hits since the early 1970s. Over the years, she has come out with many soulful renditions of popular songs like, Wind Beneath My Wings, From a Distance and Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy.
Born to entertain
Bette’s career started when she released her first album, ‘The Divine Miss M’ in 1972. Impressed by her work on the record, the critics gave it a favorable response. The album brought her massive success and it also earned her a Grammy Award in the category of the ‘Best New Artist.’ Moreover, ‘The Divine Miss M’ was also certified platinum in the United States. She continued to produce hits until the late 1970s and in 1979 starred in her first motion picture, ‘The Rose.’ Her performance in the flick was applauded by both the fans and the critics. It also got her a Golden Globe for the ‘Best Actress.’
After that, Bette began to focus on her acting career and featured in a number of very popular films in the 1980s. Some of them were, ‘Down and Out in Beverly Hills,’ ‘Ruthless People,’ ‘Outrageous Fortune’ and ‘Big Business’ out of which the latter got her an American Comedy Award for the ‘Funniest Actress in a Motion Picture.’
In 1990, she released her album, ‘Some People’s Lives’ which went double platinum in countries like, the United States, Canada and Australia. It also charted at the seventh spot on the Billboard 200 and received four stars out of five. Bette followed it up by churning out a string of hit records including, ‘It’s the Girls’ which hit the shelves in 2014. The album landed at the third spot on the Billboard 200.
Return to Broadway
Throughout her career, Better Midler has worked in many musicals including, ‘Fiddler on the Roof,’ and ‘Salvation.’ Earlier this year, the two-time Tony Award winner returned to Broadway and is currently acting in, Hello, Dolly! Since the revival of this musical, the ticket sales have been very high in every performance at which she has played the role of the protagonist, Dolly Gallagher Levi. Her fans were happy to see her performing in the show and even The New York Times stated, “Dolly is back where she belongs and so, for her fans, is Bette Midler.”
Ticket sales increase with the return of Bette Midler to Hello, Dolly!
However, from June 27th to July 9th, Bette went on a vacation and was replaced by Donna Murphy who has previously starred in musicals like, ‘LoveMusik,’ ‘Passion,’ ‘The People in the Picture’ and ‘Wonderful Town.’ After her vacations ended, Bette returned to wow theatergoers again. When she returned, the show saw an increase in ticket sales which went from more than one and a half million dollars of weekly gross of over two million dollars. This clearly shows that Midler is the big star of the musical. Her presence on the stage does wonders.
You still have time
Hello, Dolly! is currently touring. The musical is yet to complete plenty of shows at the Shubert Theater in New York. The last show will be staged there on January 14th, 2018. So, you still have time to watch Bette’s performance live. If you want to do that then get your tickets now.
