Spreckels’ ‘Hello Dolly!’ was worth the wait

After a week’s unexpected delay, Spreckels Theatre Company opened “Hello, Dolly!” on October 6 – and it was worth the wait. This joyful, mischievous production offers audiences of all ages a comic and musical treat.

If you’re unfamiliar with the storyline of the much-loved Jerry Herman/Michael Stewart musical, Dolly Levi ‒ widow and professional matchmaker ‒ has decided to marry again herself. Her eye is fixed on wealthy widower and Yonkers resident Horace Vandergelder, undeterred by the fact that she is also currently trying to match him with Irene Molloy, the owner of a millinery boutique in New York City.

Cornelius Hackl is Vandergelder’s downtrodden clerk who longs for a day off and the chance to kiss a girl. His young assistant, Barnaby Tucker, is also pretty keen to kiss someone as soon as possible. Brightly inquisitive Minnie assists Irene in the hat store. Ermengarde is Vandergelder’s disconsolate 17-year old niece, already afraid she will become an old maid, and Ambrose is the penniless artist who wants to marry her.

It’s the perfect set-up for the whirlwind that is Dolly Levi.

Her matchmaking machinations set the madcap plot in motion, winding up with everyone getting the happy ending they deserve.

As Dolly, Daniela Innocenti Beem is clearly a force of nature. An accomplished singer, Innocenti Beem also hits every comic beat, filling the stage with energy, flinging her arms wide as if to embrace the audience, and using her expressive face to punctuate every joke. As it should, the whole world revolves around Dolly, and this talented and charismatic performer clearly relishes every moment, to the audience’s obvious delight.

Innocenti Beem’s star turn could make it hard for the other performers to shine, but Zane Walters as Cornelius is a standout as the engaging, curiously innocent Cornelius. It’s tough to sing, dance and play comedy well, but Walters is equally skilled at all three, with a lightness of touch and winning humor that appropriately harks back to a simpler, more gentle era of entertainment.

Chris Schloemp as Vandergelder brings the right kind of curmudgeonly charm to counter Dolly’s determined assault. He also has plenty of comic talent to hold his own, especially during the song “It takes a Woman” and in the hilarious scene that takes place in the hat store with Dolly, Cornelius, Barnaby, Irene and Minnie.

Among the rest of the cast, a special mention must go to Michael Kessell, a member of the ensemble who stepped up to play the role of Barnaby on opening night – no easy task and one he accomplished with credit. Madison Scarborough and Anna Vorperian bring their singing and acting talents to Irene and Minnie respectively, and the “Elegance” quartet in which the two ladies are joined by their impoverished suitors Cornelius and Barnaby was delightful.

Kaela Mariano plays the tiresome Ermengade with relish, while Samuel J. Gleason had some fun as her long-suffering but still optimistic suitor. However, the story of their courtship was somewhat lost in the melee of the plot overall.

Seasoned director Elly Lichenstein has mined every ounce of comedy in this production and the orchestra, under the music direction of Debra Chambliss, provides a solid accompaniment. Costume designer Donnie Frank has nailed the period look, including Dolly’s sequined dress for her famous “Hello, Dolly!” entrance, and she’s also enabled some quick costume changes.

The relatively small cast is not able to fill the cavernous Spreckels stage for the big numbers, despite the careful choreography by Karen Miles and lighting by Eddy Hansen. The reasons for the delay in opening were not detailed by the theater company beyond the succinct explanation, “administrative issues,” but it may be the case that the cast size on opening night was intended to be bigger, and may perhaps be bigger in subsequent performances.

This would be to the show’s benefit and presumably deal with some of the visible gaps in the line-ups during the dance routines, particularly in the restaurant scene.

Despite this shortcoming, “Hello, Dolly!” offers a very enjoyable evening out ‒ and an unmissable chance to see Innocenti Beam in her element as the redoubtable Dolly.