Tomorrow: "Hello Dolly!" opens in Olympia

By Christian Carvajal on March 14, 2012

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The musical Hello, Dolly! has always seemed somewhat old-fashioned, despite the fact that it hit Broadway in the mid-'60s. It's set in the early 20th century, granted, and brassy original lead Carol Channing will never be confused with Selena Gomez.

But would you be more excited if we told you the show was originally called Dolly: A Damned Exasperating Woman, or that it's a melodic rom-com about the misadventures of a millionaire matchmaker?

Capital Playhouse's production, opening this weekend, stars Gwen Haw and Michael Self, both of whom appeared in CP's Scrooge - Haw as Mrs. Cratchit, and Self as Ebenezer. Hello, Dolly! is one of the great opportunities for a show-stopping performer to blow the roof off a theater, so we demand nothing less than fireworks from Haw. Luckily, she's directed by Kevin P. Hall, who knows the show backward and forward, having worked on it with Channing herself.

Bring it!

[Capital Playhouse, through April 1, Wed.-Sat. 7:30 p.m., Sun. 2 p.m., $28-$39, 612 E. Fourth Ave., Olympia, 360.943.2744]