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‘Hello, Dolly!’ Review: Imelda Staunton Is Marvelous in a Strikingly Sincere West End Revamp
Staunton is marvelous in a strikingly sincere classic revamp in a West End production directed by Dominic Cooke.
Purists seeking yet another rehash of Gower Champion’s original blueprint may consider London’s hotly anticipated revival as more of a case of “Hello, Dolly?” No-one expected plush glamor to be replaced by honesty and sincerity but that’s what a strikingly tender cast, led by a marvelously no-nonsense Imelda Staunton, delivers in director Dominic Cooke ’s increasingly joy-filled rethink. Deamer has them leaping for joy but at the peak, he plays with the diagonal to build tension and then, in synch with Skilbeck’s terrific orchestral arrangement, switches them into a kickline punched into place by Jon Clark’s chase on the lights framing the stage picture. Before she changed career gear and started playing musical milestone roles like Mrs. Lovett in “Sweeney Todd” and Rose in “Gypsy,” Dolly Levi was not immediately obvious casting for Staunton, but her wealth of acting experience yields big dividends.
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