Hello, Dolly! at the London Palladium

A lesson in grace and talent from Imelda Staunton. It's a wonderful classic that is perfect for a modern audience. This was a show that I went into blind and I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed it.

*POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD*

My Review:

Revivals of older musicals are becoming an increasing occurrence on West End Stages and I think that bringing these shows to a new audience is a brilliant idea as it allows new generations to appreciate classical musicals and as someone who was practically raised on Roger’s & Hammerstein I fully support this movement. Sadly, sound issues with microphones not picking up voices completely did affect moments of the performance that I attended, however, I am aware that this is often unavoidable and was luckily not majorly impactful to the whole experience.

Imelda Staunton (Dolly Levi) leads this show with a fierce power and quick wit that is perfect for the role of Dolly and alongside her brilliant characterisation which truly shows her acting abilities I was blown away by her singing which was truly given a chance to shine in Hello, Dolly!. Supporting Imdelda Staunton as the male lead was Andy Nyman (Horace Vandergelder), his It Takes A Woman perfectly blended comedy, vocals and choreography for a wonderful performance which was brilliantly supported by the male ensemble and then the female ensemble at the end who further added to the comedic side of this song. Tyrone Huntley (Barnaby Tucker) and Harry Hepple (Cornelius Hackl) brought what can only be described as the dynamic duo of this show to life. They were possibly my favourite characters in the show with their on-point comedic timing and physical theatre abilities, not to mention their fabulous singing. Jenna Russel (Irene Molloy) stuns with her rendition of Ribbons Down My Back which left me in awe of her talent and range. Emily Lane (Minnie Fay) plays the sweet, bubbly and often overstepping assistant to Irene Molloy and creates a wonderful character I loved to see grow and develop throughout the show. Emily Lane was also able to showcase her vocal ability in Elegance alongside Jenna Russel, Tyrone Huntley and Harry Hepple. Jodie Jacobs portrayed Ernestina, the niece of Horace Vandergelder, brilliantly with such talent and comedy through her exaggerated crying which she was able to impressively replicate perfectly in one scene. The ensemble of this show was composed of Leo Abad, Craig Armstrong, Lindsay Atherton, Gemma Atkins, Alan Bradshaw, Jabari Braham, Kevin Brewus, Jeni Bowden, Daisy Boyles, Samara Casteallo, Olly Christopher, Brendan Cull, Hayley Diamond, Jacqueline Hughes, Ashlee Irish, Jodie Jacobs, Shirley Jameson, Paul Kemble, Emily Langham, Michael Lin, Amira Matthews, Laura Medforth, Matt Overfield, Tom Partridge, Wendy-Lee Purdy, Edwin Ray, Phil Snowden, Kraig Thornber, Gavin Wilkinson, and Liam Wrate. This show definitely features a larger ensemble, however every single one of them was sensational and their incredible dancing added to all the songs that they were a part of and made the show even more enjoyable to watch.

I cannot recommend this show enough for theatre lovers or anyone wanting to see a more classical show as the beautiful staging and cast will provide you a brilliant show that will not be soon forgotten.

Content Warnings:

The theatre did not have any displayed content warnings that I could see, however, I did make note of moments or effects that I felt should be mentioned, which are as follows:

Discussions of bereavement from Dolly and Irene, who have both lost their husbands
References to misogyny during the song It Takes a Woman

Thank you for taking the time to read and I hope this review has proved interesting and helpful for you :)

- AnxiousTheatregoer