HELLO, DOLLY!
by Jerry Herman & Michael Stewart
Goodspeed Musicals
Set: Adrian Jones
Costumes: Wade Laboissonniere
Lights: Jason Lyons
“As if anyone could stop Daniel Goldstein’s whirlwind production of Hello, Dolly! at the Goodspeed Opera House, anyway. This one speeds by so quickly that it accomplishes one of those rare theatrical miracles: Act One seems ten minutes long and Act Two seems more like five. If this were a film on a continuous loop, here’s betting that the enraptured audience would stay for another show.”
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“All is well in American Musical Theater again because Dolly Levi is back, this time at the era-appropriate Goodspeed Opera House in a delightful, full-throttle production, directed by Daniel Goldstein, that reminds you of the charms, joys and heart of the original.”
- Frank Rizzo, Hartford Courant
“Goodspeed Opera House is internationally known for its ability to produce “big” shows in a relatively confined space, and this skill is manifest in its current production of “Hello, Dolly!” a rollicking, fast-paced presentation… The audience walked out of “Hello, Dolly!” with a skip in their step.”
– Geary Danihy, Artes Magazine
“The vastly enjoyable new production at the Goodspeed Opera House, directed by Daniel Goldstein, restores the balance and reveals Hello, Dolly! as a far better show than I’d ever suspected. The show seems to have been conceived to make musical comedy buffs feel like kids in a candy store.”
– Steve Vineberg, Critic At Large
“Director Daniel Goldstein powers the production with an indefatigable energy. I love too, the confidence Goldstein displays in letting a couple of comic moments last and last,building the humor until theatergoers are shrieking with laughter. Goldstein is the Guiding Genius here.”
– Kristina Dorsey, The Day
“Director Daniel Goldstein keeps the pace going at break-neck speed, and since Dolly herself is a whirlwind, encouraging the rest of the cast to match her tempo is a brilliant stroke of directing.
– Anthony Schillaci, The Examiner
“Flawless direction by Daniel Goldstein”
– Walt Haggerty, In the Spotlight
“Directed with effervescent charm by Daniel Goldstein, he has knowingly expanded the staging to have the performers utilize the aisles of the theater not only during the crowd pleasing "Before the Parade Passes By" but also by introducing Dolly Gallagher Levi not in the usual way riding in on a trolley but having her walk down the aisle. Here is a production where everything clicks perfectly. When an audience still laughs heartily at the sight gag that has Blackhurst with perfect comic timing eating her corn on the cob while the court proceedings are taking place you know that Goldstein has taken a show nearly 50 years old and made it feel refreshingly new.”
– NorthJersey.com
“Daniel Goldstein’s direction keep the audience gasping to catch up.”
– Ridgelea Reports
“Director Daniel Goldstein, working in concert with the creative team, artfully guides the production, fully invigorating the show with zest and inspiration. In lesser hands this Hello, Dolly! could have been tired and hackneyed. Goldstein, on the other hand, has steered the show to a deserved standing ovation at the musical's finale.”
– Stu Brown, Stu on Broadway
“As directed by Daniel Goldstein, this Dolly! is so overflowing with cheer, that it quite literally spills out into the audience and nearly raises the rafters. Although Carol Channing appeared in a Broadway revival, which recreated Gower Champion's original staging and choreography, as recently as 1995, the Goodspeed Opera House's production of Hello, Dolly! is so fresh that even those who have seen Dolly! before are still likely to find this current revival a revelation. The Goodspeed Opera House production of Hello, Dolly! is simply thrilling and deliriously enjoyable from beginning to end and is therefore a must for any theatergoer.”
– Zander Opper, Talkin Broadway
“All I can say is Wow, Wow, Wow, fellas – and ladies of course. What a triumphant way to celebrate 50 years of bringing professional musical theater to Connecticut. Goodspeed’s jewel in the crown for this golden jubilee is Hello, Dolly!
Hello, Dolly! needs no explanation so let’s get right into the Goodspeed production . Let me use words like flawless, thrilling, surprising, hilarious, beautiful, entertaining and oh yeah, musical.
Take a perfect musical, thank you Jerry Herman and Michael Stewart, assemble a dream cast, thank you director Daniel Goldstein, and you’ve the potential to mount a show that audiences and critics will rave about. But potential is not enough. It all has to gel and become whole. That means everyone in the 20- member cast, the 8-piece orchestra, and the dozens of behind the scenes creatives, techs, dressers and managers have to do their part and give the show 100%. Well, they all did. The Goodspeed Opera House experience is most often magical, but this Hello, Dolly! is absolutely enthralling - every scene, every moment.” – Garrett Stack
– WMNR