On March 14th, 15th, and 16th, Hen Hud’s Theater Department put on the 1964 classic musical, Hello, Dolly! The show is about a widowed matchmaker, Dolly Levi, who travels to Yonkers, New York, to find a partner for the half-millionaire, Horace Vandergelder. The show explores themes of love, wealth, early feminism, and the pursuit of happiness. The theater department describes the amount of effort put into this show, with actors, pit musicians, and backstage personnel making this show successful. Additionally, the support from teachers, community members, and family members contributed along the way to help the department put on an incredible three shows. .
Of course, the actors on stage are crucial to making a successful musical. One such actress was senior Nava Minichino, who looked back on her role as the titular Dolly Levi fondly; “Hello, Dolly was incredible after being in over 8 productions in high school, no show has ever felt so put together in the time we had. As someone going into theatre, I couldn’t have asked for a better way to leave the stage before going on to perform professionally.”
Alec Elkin, her lead costar who played Horace Vandergelder, also spoke highly about his experience “I had a great time rehearsing for and performing in Hello Dolly. This was my fourth and final year in the show—very bittersweet—and I enjoyed guiding the underclassmen in the drama club. I highly recommend joining the show, as a cast member or as a crew volunteer.”
The pit musicians provided the instrumental music for the show, and it was the first pit the department had used since their performance of Mamma Mia two years ago. Violinist Sophia Jimdar offers some insight on the perspective of the pit: “Hello, Dolly! was one of the best performance experiences of my life! From the first rehearsal to the last show, I had a blast, and I was so impressed with my classmates’ talent and hard work. It truly paid off, and it was such a good experience. Go Hen Hud!” the only freshman in the pit, Niamh Gormley on cello, echoed Jimdar’s remarks and spoke about the preparation for this event: “This experience was exciting. It was a big challenge to commit to. But overall, it was a great experience.”
The backstage department, which controls things like lights, props, microphones, and more, is very crucial for a successful show such as this. Castalia Litos spoke about the work of the backstage crew:
“For the past four years, I’ve been working in the lighting department for the plays and musicals; the first two years I was a spotlight operator, and then I moved to the lighting board for my junior and senior year. Despite not being on the stage and in the spotlight, the backstage and AV crew do so much for the production and are extremely dedicated. I’ve enjoyed learning all of the coding and technical skills of the light board, as well as the community of people and friends I’ve made within the drama department.”
One of the stage managers, Cecilia Salazar, also spoke about her experience. “Being stage manager with my friend Sophia was a fun experience. Although it was challenging it was all the more rewarding.”
Last but not least, teachers are very important for developing a show like this. Mrs. Denler, the director of this show, spoke a bit about her experience. She states, “Working as the director of Hello, Dolly! was a monumental undertaking! I have been the music director for the musicals here at Hen Hud for 20 years, but this was the first time I was the stage director and the musical director. It was a lot of work, but with the support of my colleagues, like Mrs. Morabito (conductor), Mrs. Jandrasits (producer), our new choreographer, Gerard Salvador, Clare Carey (tech director and an incredible mentor) and especially the brilliant, hardworking, and dedicated cast, made the experience a complete joy! I can not wait to do it again next year!”
Overall, the actors, crew, musicians, and support of Hen Hud’s production regard the show as successful! The show proves the importance of community and of coming together as a family of talented actors, musicians, teachers, and community members to create a great production.
