BRANDY MCDONNELL

Theater review: National tour of 'Hello, Dolly!" delights at Civic Center Music Hall

Brandy McDonnell
The cast of the national touring company of "Hello, Dolly!" performs. [Julieta Cervantes]

Just like the title character's iconic red gown and matching headdress, the grand musical "Hello, Dolly!" never goes out of style.

The beloved 1964 title has it all: a full menu of stunning dance numbers topped by the famed "Waiters' Gallop"; a string of cherished songs by Jerry Herman, including the familiar title theme, "It Only Takes a Moment" and "Put on Your Sunday Clothes"; a sumptuous costume parade that accompanies the latter, which is then outdone by an actual parade that fills the entire stage.

Directed by stage legend Jerry Zaks, the touring version of the show's celebrated 2017 return to Broadway, which won four Tony Awards, including best revival of a musical, does it all and lavishly.

But the national tour, playing through Sunday at the Civic Center Music Hall, does an especially fine job of spotlighting the sparkling humor of Michael Stewart's book. Set in New York at the turn of the 20th century, "Hello, Dolly!" boasts plenty of sight gags, zingers and double takes to keep audiences smiling and laughing until their cheeks ache.

Relatively new to the production, three-time Tony nominee Carolee Carmello shines like the sequins on that famous red gown as fast-talking matchmaker and professional meddler Dolly Gallagher Levi, who is ostensibly hunting for a second wife for prickly “half-a-millionaire” Horace Vandergelder (the fantastic John Bolton) but actually is scheming to marry the Yonkers businessman herself.

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The creative team, cast and musicians are uniformly excellent, and the production boasts a bounty of Broadway glamour to make the stage spectacle even more spectacular. From the playfully dancing horse and the chugging steam engine to flaming dishes wielded by the high-stepping waiters to the twinkling lights framing the rich red curtain, this "Dolly" is a delight.

Tickets and information, go to www.okcbroadway.com or call 594-8300.