Review: It takes a woman—Heidi Kettenring—to make Marriott’s “Dolly” shine
The quintessential moment in Marriott Theatre’s hilariously entertaining new production of Hello, Dolly comes about halfway through the second act. As Dolly (a completely in-her-element Heidi Kettenring), the widowed matchmaker (and whatever else she chooses to be at any given moment), finally comes to the culmination of a complicated and convoluted plot to obtain a match for herself, we find ourselves at dinner in one of New York’s most exclusive restaurants (called the Harmonia Gardens). It is there where the waiters gather to welcome their favorite customer with the iconic “Hello, Dolly,” but that number, excellent as it is, can’t measure up to the electric energy of the hyperspeed “The Waiters’ Gallop,” in which the show’s talented ensemble, led by director/choreographer Denis Jones, whirls and spins and bounces around the stage with various food items to prove that they indeed have the fastest service in the city. And the most stunningly exciting.
Jones’ Dolly shines from opening to close, and Kettenring, one of Chicago’s most talented performers and a regular at Marriott who is married to the show’s male lead, David C. Girolmo, is the main reason. I’ve enjoyed her performances over the years, but this role really allows her to play to all of her strengths, including her sharp comedic skills. (One scene in which everyone onstage and off sits for what seems like several minutes and watches her slowly and meticulously polish off a turkey dinner is such a virtuoso performance that it is worthy of a Jeff nod all by itself.) She simply takes over every scene she is in (which of course is most of them), as you’d expect this self-assured character to do. And (of course) her rapport with Girolmo, who plays the object of Dolly’s plan, the gruff Horace Vandergelder, is perfect.
