May 28, 29, June 3, 4, 10, 11, 17, 18, 1989
This show, a musical version of Thornton Wilder's The Matchmaker, was written by Ernest Lehman and Michael Stewart. The Players' production was directed by Robert Cooper. The story follows Dolly Levy, self-appointed matchmaker, as she travels to Yonkers, New York, to visit "the well-known half-a-millionaire" Horace Vandergelder. Dolly has designs on Horace, of course, but he doesn't realize it.
Hello, Dolly! suffered from a plague of caterpillars, more than anyone had seen before or since. They were everywhere. For her first entrance, Jackie Rosin, as Dolly, climbed through the woods to enter down the center aisle through the audience. As she waited for her cue, a caterpillar fell from a branch down the front of her dress. As she tried to shake it out, she heard her cue and with heroic effort forgot the caterpillar and became Dolly. Many cast members still delight in describing how hard it was to stay motionless with caterpillers crawling on them.
The costumers, Mary Duckering and Karen Hughey, dressed groups of dancers in tints from pink to lavender creating a magnificent rainbow chorus.
The total attendance at the eight performances was almost 3,000.
