Say Hello, Dolly! at Starlight!

Dolly will be back where she belongs September 25-29 as the final show in the 2019 AdventHealth Broadway Series. This will be Starlight’s fifth staging of the matchmaking musical comedy, and Dolly is still glowing and going strong, as evidenced by the sold-out Broadway crowds and honors bestowed on this 2017 revival.

This iconic show first premiered on the Great White Way in 1964, starring Carol Channing in the title role and winning a record-setting 10 Tony Awards that year. Since then, Hello, Dolly! has been revived on Broadway numerous times, each to critical acclaim, but this most recent revival headed to Starlight has been called the best of the best. It won four Tony Awards in 2017—including Best Revival of a Musical.

And, did you know that Hello, Dolly! has an extensive Starlight history as well, with some of the biggest names in Broadway playing the title role?

Starlight first staged the production in the summer of 1970 with Marilyn Maye as Dolly Levi, the meddling matchmaker who travels to New York to find a match for Horace Vandergelder, the unmarried half-a-millionaire curmudgeon.

In 1977, Carol Channing, who originated Dolly on Broadway and won Best Actress in a Musical for the original production, returned to reprise her role under the stars in Kansas City. Next, Tony Award winner Madeline Kahn took the stage in 1992, and Michelle Lee returned to the Starlight stage in 2005 to portray the title role. Now, Broadway veteran Carolee Carmello makes her Dolly premiere when she takes over the title role in the national Broadway tour for the first time—right here in Kansas City.

Carolee is a three-time Tony Award nominee and a 5-time Drama Desk Award nominee. She’s appeared in Broadway hits like Parade, Mamma Mia!, Finding Neverland, Sister Act and more. In addition to her extensive Broadway resume, Carolee has toured the country—including a stop at Starlight Theatre in 1987 as Mary Jane Wilkes in Big River.

Tickets to Hello, Dolly! are on sale now and available at kcstarlight.com, by calling 816-363-STAR, or by visiting our box office at 4700 Starlight Road, Kansas City, Mo., 64132. Groups of 10 or more can save on tickets and personalize their night out at the theatre. Contact groups@kcstarlight.com for more information.

Want more information on the history of Hello, Dolly! at Starlight? Visit Starlight’s Ovation Museum! Our show feature wall highlights the four leading ladies who previously brought Dolly to life on the Starlight stage. Looks like we’ll need to make room for Carolee, next!