Bette Midler confirms she’s heading back to Broadway
Bette Midler has confirmed to fans on social media she will be returning to New York City next year to star in a Broadway revival of iconic ’60s musical Hello Dolly!
Tweeting to her 827,000 followers, the Divine Miss M said that she would be stepping into the shoes of Dolly Levi, the role made famous by Carol Channing in the 1964 Broadway debut season, and Barbra Streisand in the 1969 Hollywood screen adaptation.
“Yes, I am taking on the role of the beloved Dolly Levi in “Hello, Dolly!”” she said.
“We open next year on Broadway! So excited!”
Yes, I am taking on the role of the beloved Dolly Levi in "Hello, Dolly!". We open next year on Broadway! So excited!
— bettemidler (@BetteMidler) January 19, 2016
Earlier in the week, Midler had teased she was on the verge of sharing the news, when she said, “this Dolly has an announcement coming tomorrow!”
Well HELLO! This Dolly has an announcement coming tomorrow ! Stay tuned!
— bettemidler (@BetteMidler) January 19, 2016
It will be Midler’s first appearance in the Big Apple for three years. Back in 2013, she dominated the box office with her one-woman-show I’ll Eat You Last: A Chat with Sue Mengers.
Based on Thornton Wilder’s play The Matchmaker, Hello Dolly! tells the story of a matchmaking widow who travels to New York at the turn of the 20th Century to find a partner for the unmarried “half-a-millionaire” Horace Vandergelder.
The production will be produced by Scott Rudin, directed by four-time Tony Award winner Jerry Zaks, and choreographed by Warren Carlyle, who is to reportedly pay homage to the original choreography of the 1964 Broadway original.
Rudin, who also confirmed the 70-year-old star would be taking on the leading role for the big budget production, said a new revival was overdue, as reported by ABC News.
“There has not been a new production in 50 years,” said Rudin.
“Partly it was the difficulty of who could play Dolly. It had to be someone who could take it to a different level. Bette is the only one who can.
“Never has there been something more inevitable than her in this role.”
The first Broadway production of Hello Dolly! opened at the St. James Theatre on 15 January 1964 and ran for almost seven years, closing on 27 December 1970 after 2,844 performances.
Performances for the Broadway revival will commence on March 13, 2017, with an official opening night scheduled for April 20, 2017.
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