'Hello, Dolly!' has charm

The Baltimore Sun

Hello, Dolly! was a big hit on Broadway in the 1960s, shedding its light on the Great White Way alongside the likes of Mame, Funny Girl and Fiddler on the Roof.

But while the latter three get trotted out regularly by theater companies, Dolly's appearances are less frequent. Jerry Herman's musical score, after all, is more modest than the others, and the show's dramatics less riveting.

But the story of Dolly Levi, the irrepressible matchmaker who overcomes loneliness and loss to take New York by storm, is a charmer. And when a talented, energetic cast brings it to the stage, Dolly can make the room sway and the band play with the best of them.

That's what happened Sunday evening when the junior troupe (middle school and younger) of the Talent Machine Company revved up its two-weekend run of Hello, Dolly! at Key Auditorium on the campus of St. John's College in Annapolis.

In Christina Bartone, 14, the Talent Machine has found a glamorous Dolly is delightfully quick of tongue as she drums up clients for the many businesses she runs out of the endless card file she has at the ready.

Her client (and soon-to-be husband), grumpy Horace Vandergelder of Yonkers, N.Y., is crusty to a fault as played by Andrew Siske.

It's the quartet of youngsters in secondary roles, though, who bring the real snap, crackle and pop to the production.

Nick Pajerowski is terrific as Cornelius Hackl, Horace's long-suffering store manager who finally gets out from under his boss's overbearing thumb for one magical day in New York City. Funny, ingratiating and a first-class song and dance man at age 14, Pajerowski steals scene after scene.

He's aided and abetted by a wide-eyed, supremely energetic Zachary McKinney as Barnaby, Cornelius' assistant, who also must leave Yonkers to find out what the world has in store for him.

On the female side, there's Lydia Ramsey as Irene Malloy, the milliner slated to be the next Mrs. Vandergelder until Cornelius and, of course, Dolly intervene to change her plans. She proves a delightful foil to Dolly's brashness, bringing a touch of elegant reserve to everything she does. Her "Ribbons Down My Back" is so well-done that even an absurdly loud recorded tape doesn't detract from her classy delivery.

Paired up with Barnaby is Minnie Fay played by the hilarious Grace Burdick, whose comic stature is as immense as her physical stature is diminutive. Her Act I monologue is the funniest bit in the show, and when she joins Irene, Cornelius and Barnaby for "Elegance," the song is bright, breezy and utterly professional in the best Talent Machine tradition.

As always in these productions, choreography rules, and this Dolly is no exception. "The Waiter's Gallop" is especially bracing, a melange of dance, gymnastics and more show business pizazz than you could shake a schtick at.

Also lovely is "Dancing," where the spirited Mrs. Levi joins Irene, Cornelius and Barnaby for a routine so appealing that you can't help thinking how nice is it is to have Dolly back at center stage where she belongs.

The Talent Machine's "Hello, Dolly!" will be performed at Key Auditorium tonight through Sunday. Information: 410-956-0512 or visit www.talentmachine.com.

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