Show guide
Hello, Dolly!
"Hello, Dolly!" follows Dolly Gallagher Levi, a New York matchmaker who sets out to arrange a match for a wealthy Yonkers merchant and ends up angling for him herself.
- Broadway premiere
- 1964
- Music by
- Jerry Herman
- Genre
- Golden Age
- Setting
- 1890s
Hello, Dolly!: quick answers
What is Hello, Dolly! about?
- Hello, Dolly! follows matchmaker Dolly Levi, who travels to Yonkers to find a wife for the wealthy, miserly Horace Vandergelder while quietly planning to marry him herself.
When did Hello, Dolly! open on Broadway?
- Hello, Dolly! opened on Broadway on January 16, 1964, at the St. James Theatre, with Carol Channing as Dolly, and ran 2,844 performances until December 27, 1970. Bette Midler starred in a Tony-winning 2017 revival at the Shubert Theatre.
Is Hello, Dolly! a Golden Age musical?
- Yes. Hello, Dolly! opened in 1964, near the end of the Golden Age, and it is a classic star-vehicle book musical with a Jerry Herman score, adapted from Thornton Wilder's play The Matchmaker.
Where and when is Hello, Dolly! set?
- Hello, Dolly! is set in New York City and Yonkers, New York, as the 19th century turns into the 20th.
Has Hello, Dolly! played in London's West End?
- Hello, Dolly! opened in London on December 2, 1965, at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, starring Mary Martin. Imelda Staunton won the Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical for the 2024 revival at the London Palladium.
Is there a Hello, Dolly! movie?
- The 1969 film, directed by Gene Kelly, starred Barbra Streisand as Dolly, Walter Matthau as Horace Vandergelder, and Michael Crawford as Cornelius Hackl, with Louis Armstrong in a cameo, and won three Academy Awards.
The story of Hello, Dolly!
Set in the 1890s, the show centers on Dolly Levi, a widow who works as a professional matchmaker and dabbler in half the businesses of New York. She travels to Yonkers to find a bride for the prickly but well-off Horace Vandergelder, only to steer events so that she winds up as the intended bride herself. Along the way, Vandergelder's clerks sneak off to the city for a day of adventure and romance of their own.
The plot is built on mistaken identities, near misses in crowded restaurants, and the kind of farcical timing that made the source material a durable stage comedy long before it became a musical. It is a warm, funny valentine to turn-of-the-century New York, full of bustling street life and old-fashioned courtship.
The music and the makers
Jerry Herman wrote the music and lyrics, giving the show a big, brassy, old-fashioned Broadway sound built for a star performer and a full company behind her. His songs favor broad, hummable melodies and lyrics that let a leading lady take command of a stage, which is exactly the kind of vehicle "Hello, Dolly!" became.
Herman's score sits squarely in the golden age tradition, prioritizing charm, wit, and showmanship over complicated harmonic ideas. The title number, built around a grand entrance and a chorus of adoring waiters, has become one of the most recognizable set pieces in musical theater history.
Hello, Dolly! on Broadway
The show opened in 1964 and became a defining hit of that era, prized for the way it hands its leading lady both comic timing and a showstopping title song. It has long been a favorite vehicle for star actresses, since the role of Dolly rewards personality, comic instinct, and sheer stage presence as much as vocal range.
Decades on, "Hello, Dolly!" endures because it delivers pure theatrical pleasure: a big band sound, a lavish period setting, and a heroine who gets exactly what she wants through charm and nerve. It remains a reliable audience favorite whenever it returns to Broadway.
Hello, Dolly!: frequently asked questions
Is Hello, Dolly! a Golden Age musical?
Yes. Hello, Dolly! opened in January 1964, near the end of Broadway's Golden Age of roughly 1943 to the mid 1960s, and it is a traditional book musical built around a star role, Dolly Levi, originated by Carol Channing.
How many Tony Awards did Hello, Dolly! win?
The original production won 10 Tony Awards in 1964, including Best Musical, and no musical won more until The Producers took 12 in 2001. The 2017 Broadway revival added four more, including Best Revival of a Musical and Best Actress in a Musical for Bette Midler.
Is Hello, Dolly! based on a true story?
No. Hello, Dolly! is adapted from Thornton Wilder's comedy The Matchmaker (1954), a reworking of his 1938 play The Merchant of Yonkers, which grew out of 19th century farces by John Oxenford and Johann Nestroy. Its characters and story are fictional.
Is Hello, Dolly! still running on Broadway?
No. The original production closed on December 27, 1970, after 2,844 performances. Its most recent Broadway revival, starring Bette Midler, ran from April 2017 to August 2018 at the Shubert Theatre.
When did Hello, Dolly! open on Broadway?
Hello, Dolly! opened on Broadway in 1964.
Who wrote the music for Hello, Dolly!?
Jerry Herman composed the music and lyrics.
What is Hello, Dolly! about?
It follows matchmaker Dolly Levi as she arranges a match for a Yonkers merchant and ultimately wins him for herself, set against the bustle of 1890s New York.
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