Hello, Dolly! coming to Mansfield University stage March 3-6

by John Maslar

Mansfield, PA (02/18/2022) — Mansfield University will present Hello, Dolly! March 3-6 at Straughn Auditorium.

The musical is based on the 1954 play The Matchmaker by Thornton Wilder. The musical book was written by Michael Stewart and the music and lyrics by Jerry Herman. This blockbuster Broadway hit is bursting with humor, romance, high-energy dancing, and some of the greatest songs in musical theater history. The musical follows the romantic and comic exploits of Dolly Gallagher Levi (a strong-willed matchmaker), as she travels to New York to find a match for the miserly "well-known, unmarried, half-a-millionaire" Horace Vandergelder. The show's memorable songs include Put On Your Sunday Clothes, Ribbons Down My Back, Before the Parade Passes By, Hello, Dolly!, Elegance, and It Only Takes a Moment.

The Mansfield University cast includes Natalie Holsey (senior, music education) as Dolly Levi, Carson Witherite (junior, vocal performance) as Horace Vandergelder, Jay Falgo (senior, music education) as Cornelius Hackl, Emma Criswell (junior, music education) as Mrs. Malloy, Mat Thomas (sophomore, music education) as Barnaby Tucker, and Hanna Worthington (senior, music education) as Minnie Fay.

The production directors are MU music professor Sheryl Monkelien and MU Alum Peter Davis '93. Isaac and Val Campbell will choreograph the show, and Davis will serve as technical director.

Shows are March 3, 4, 5 at 7:30 p.m. and March 6 at 2:30 p.m. in Straughn Auditorium. Tickets are $16 for adults, $12 for seniors/students, children (12 and under) $6, and MU students are FREE with current ID. You can purchase tickets in advance at mansfield.booktix.com or the door one hour before curtain. Audience members must wear masks.