'Dolly' to say hello on West Orange High School stage

WINTER GARDEN — Dolly Gallagher Levi — a widowed meddler intent on pairing couples and teaching dance and mandolin lessons — is making a scheduled two-week stop at West Orange High School for the theater troupe’s spring musical production of “Hello, Dolly!”

The show, with a cast of 50 students, will be under the direction of Kenneth Rush, recent recipient of Best Director at the Southeastern Theatre Conference 2015.

The “Dolly” set was designed by Benjamin Rush, the director’s son, who recently was guest director for West Orange’s production of “Peter Pan.” The set is made up of three large revolving stages and an extensive runway for Dolly’s big number in the show.

“He has truly captured the turn-of-the-century feel by incorporating a lot of lattice work in the design,” Kenneth Rush said. 

WHO IS DOLLY?

“‘Hello, Dolly!’ is an adventurous comedy through the Victorian Era when men were the breadwinners and a lady was a gem to adorn a man’s arm. Dolly Levi was a matchmaker who was hired by a wealthy gentleman to find the perfect ‘gem,’ and that is exactly what she did. However, the ‘gem’ she finds is for her (own) arm when she falls in love with the wealthiest man in Yonkers, New York, Mr. Horace Vandergelder. The show is written in the style of a true Victorian comedy with Dolly leading three eligible bachelors and two eligible ladies through a night in New York City that includes a parade, an elegant dinner complete with a show-stopping number, a dance competition, a short stay in jail and, of course, happy endings.

“The show is full of some of the most recognizable music anyone has ever heard but not been aware of,” Rush said. “Many of the tunes are used as background music in local theme parks, they are always playing in elevators — and who hasn’t heard the title song before that was made famous by the great Louis Armstrong?

“‘Hello, Dolly!’ is just good, ol’ family-oriented musical theater with hummable songs and beautiful sets and costumes,” he said.

GETTING DRESSED UP

The men wear dapper suits, and the women don fancy headpieces and multi-layered, colorful floor-length gowns in “Hello, Dolly!” All of these elaborate outfits come from Costume World, in Deerfield Beach. The company has 1.2 million costumes available for rental, and most of them are originals from Broadway shows, some dating back to the 1950s, such as “My Fair Lady,” with Julie Andrews, and “The King & I,” with Yul Brynner, Kenneth Rush said.

The company is owned by Marilynn Wick and is touted as the largest costume distributor in the United States. Because of its popularity, the business has added a museum where the public can see all of the clothes and take tours to learn about the history of the costumes.

DOLLY RETURNS

“Hello, Dolly!” was the first West Orange High musical that Kenneth Rush directed in 1999, and it starred another of his children, daughter Jessica Rush Anderson, who was a senior. That year, she was voted most talented and performed the roles of Eliza Doolittle in “Pygmalian,” Medea in “Medea” and Dolly Levi in “Hello, Dolly!”

She has performed in various Broadway roles and is presently in the Broadway production of “Jersey Boys.”

CAST MEMBERS

In the cast of “Hello, Dolly!” are: Alex Crosby (as Dolly Levi), Jeffrey Oakman (Horace Vandergelder), Parker Wallace (Cornelius Hackle), Matt Guernier (Barnaby Tucker), Sydney Rundle (Irene Molloy), Marissa Schwartz (Minnie Fay), Asher Adams (Ambrose Kemper), Deanna Hubbard (Ermengarde), Miranda Morris (Ernestina Money), Isaiah Rothstein (Rudolph Reisenweber) and Hillary Simpson (Court Reporter).

Ensemble members are Nina Bethencourt, Isabella Bruno, Tyler Capraro, Ava Cassatta, Ivanna Cuevas, Jordan Doscher, Abigail Hansen, Kailey Jones, Carolline Leite, Emma Marisco, Kendall Meyer, Clarissa Moon, Elina Moon, Miranda Morris, Kendall Myers, Cole Neuman, T.J. Pursley, Lizzie Repassy, Isaiah Rothstein, Allie Schnacky, Hillary Simpson, Trista Sinex, John Sublette, Lauren Swatek, Avianna Tagerty, Aidan Wamsley, Kassidy Weideman and Jacob Zimmerman.

THE TECHIES

The show wouldn’t go on without direction, sets, costumes, makeup and other technical aspects. Here are members of the technical crew: Ken Rush (director), Benjamin D. Rush (technical director and production design), Tara Whitman (choreographer), John deHaas (music director), Skylar Wostak (student technical director), Celina Ortiz (assistant student technical director), Zachary Croft (stage manager), Katie Householder (assistant stage manager), Chase Steiner (set chief), Brittany Posso (lighting chief), Deanna Hubbard (props chief), Haythem Smith (props crew), Brendon Warner (sound chief), Fallyn Holmes and Avianna Tagerty (costume chiefs), Annie Pryor and Kailey Jones (costume crew), Sarah Leverage (hair and makeup chief), Abigail Hansen (hair and makeup assistant chief), Jordon Doscher (hair and makeup crew), Jaime Sharp and Shawnee Sinex (scenic painters), Lisa Waldron (business manager), John Crosby (tickets and vouchers), Sara Rush (box office), Sandi Wallace (playbill and ushers) and Karen Oakman (concessions and fan-grams).

The set crew consists of Kendall Myers, John Franks, Cross Heintzelman, Daniel Pooley, Hunter Santoro, Leah Jemison and the WOHS theater classes.

Asher Adams, Bailey Cook and Tyler Capraro make up the lighting crew.

Contact Amy Quesinberry Rhode at [email protected].

IF YOU GO

“Hello, Dolly!” 

WHEN: 7:30 p.m. April 30 through May 2 and May 7 to 9, as well as in matinees at 2:30 p.m. Sundays, May 3 and 10

WHERE: West Orange High School, 1625 Beulah Road, Winter Garden

TICKETS: $10 for students, $12 general admission, $15 for reserved seats. It is being suggested that Orange County Public Schools employees make a $10 donation.

INFORMATION: (407) 905-2400, Ext. 6162462, or go to westorangehighschooltheatre.com.