Hello, Dolly! – London Palladium – Review

7th September 2024

On the 7th of September, I went to see Hello, Dolly! at the London Palladium for the 2:30pm performance. My tickets were booked last minute; I knew that I had to see this cast as there was no guarantee that it would come back next year, like Sister Act did this summer. No r̶e̶g̶e̶r̶t̶s̶ regrets. It was a fantastic experience. I had great seats—Royal Circle A15—and although for £99.50 on the pricey side, I would do it again in an instant. To my bank account: #sorrynotsorry ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

For the uninitiated, Hello, Dolly! is a musical that follows the larger-than-life widowed Dolly Gallagher Levi as she sets up Horace Vandergelder in her role as matchmaker. Through her shenanigans, we are taken on a journey to find true love in Yonkers, New York, causing chaos and magical moments with quirky new and old friends along the way in this romcom musical.

“Helloooooo Dolly” is what is sang (elongated vowels and all) by the restaurant staff as they circle Dolly, absolutely enamoured by her. And I can see why — with Imelda Staunton in the role of Dolly, how could you not be? She brings a level of charm to the role that makes you remark, “She was born for this”.

For me, this was the first time seeing Staunton in a theatrical role. I had only known her for her performance as Miss Umbridge in the Harry Potter franchise (quickly summarised as pink and perfectly malevolent). I’ve come to the conclusion that Staunton is just the type of actor that embodies a role so flawlessly that you cannot envision anyone else in said role. Characters do not just come to life; but they go on to build empires with Staunton at their helm. That’s just the type of actor Staunton is. Does this make me an Imelda Staunton stan? Absolutely. In fact, sign me up to the nearest fan club and put me on the mailing list.

The cast as a whole was so cohesive: the harmonies blended, the dances were in synch and with an orchestra like that how could the production NOT be a success?

I always love looking at staging when going to the theatre because the only limit is your imagination (and space if you’re at the Vaudeville Theatre; shout out to SIX). The creativity of set designers always leaves me impressed, and with Hello, Dolly!, it was no different. The use of moving backdrops and walkways (think going to the airport vibes but it’s actually disguised as a street instead), a train that you think is stationary but surprise, surprise *Cilla Black voice* it moves! To me, seeing how movement is achieved across the stage is so cool! How it helps to move the story seamlessly from one scene to the next. Travel without physically exiting the stage (cue steam from the train)—that’s hot *Paris Hilton voice*.

Lighting is another element that’s fun to explore. Within the production lighting is used to emphasise how a character truly feels. For example, when the song “Before the Parade Passes By” is performed, the stage has a gloomy atmosphere, and as the song progresses, the stage is lit up, reflecting Dolly’s newfound hopeful convictions. In this scene, the Broadway feel was indisputable. Think bright lights all over the stage.

Similarly, Mrs Molloy’s solo song, “Ribbons Down My Back”, sees the stage covered in deep lilac. Yes, it’s the colour of her shop, but the inner English student in me argues that it’s more than that. The colour matches the tinges of melancholy and sweetness of love in the lyrics: “And he might smile and take me by the hand this summer / Making me recall how lovely love can be”. This scene was really beautiful to watch unfold, and the lighting is what helps to make the scene memorable.

In any type of performance, when comedy is a main aspect, it’s very hit or miss. The jokes either come off forced and shoehorned in (looking at you & Juliet) or there is the case of the cast not being able to pull off said jokes/bits. You do not necessarily believe what their characters are trying to sell — ice, eskimos, all that jazz. *awks*

But that’s what misses are. This, this is a hit. This cast are their characters. There was no division; it was like we were actually observing the ins and outs of Yonkers, a gossip girl experience, if you will, XOXO. Jokes not only landed but were knocked out of the metaphorical park. I think this is testament to how well the script holds up for a musical that is from 1964 — for my non STEM girlies (basically me 😪) that’s 60 years of brilliant writing and timeless jokes (as well as, of course, revisions from our directors, etc., but the point remains). A great reminder writing wise to just do your own thing and let the story speak for itself: there’s no need to include every element to appeal to every demographic.

Quick fire thoughts:

• Favourite song? Always a difficult choice 😭 but for me it would be “So Long, Dearie”. Dolly really sang her way into the night – icon FR 💅🏾
• Favourite costume? Dolly’s green dress that she wears to Harmonia Gardens 👩🏾‍🍳💋 no explanation needed.
• Best quote? This will definitely have to be a separate post because when I say that this musical is just filled with quotes for Instagram captions or to add to your list of phrases. For now lets go with Minnie: “May he rest in peace wherever he may be.” *looks down to the ground implying hell* 💀
• Favourite character? Dolly is the gift that just keeps giving. She gives off Adara from Lady Liar (Webtoon) vibes. All of the characters are just an eternal mood in some way, shape or form … *I can sense a separate post in the works 😗*
• Review on your seat? Royal Circle A15 is an aisle seat, which for me is perfect because I Iike being able to escape quickly (lmaoooo) and have lots of leg room. I think if I had another seat it would have been uncomfortable, I mean to some degree it was, but the view was so perfect. For context, the person behind me had their leg stretched out like a slinky toy. It should also be noted that when being sold it’s advertised as having a safety rail in view. Book the seat anyway. In this case it literally doesn’t impede on your vision. Promise. 💛

All in all, this revival of Hello, Dolly! is not one to be missed and if you have the opportunity to see it you absolutely should. The songs will be stuck in your head and who doesn’t want a bit of p̶u̶d̶d̶i̶n̶g adventure?

Rating: 5/5 stars (or a 10/10)

Hello, Dolly! is in London for a limited run until the 14th September 2024

Rating scale explained – I like to rate things out of 10 but I think people tend to use stars… So I might do both (can you see how indecisive I am *sigh* 😶) –> expect to see a post soon with a rating of all the musicals I’ve seen so far.