Hello Dolly

Ah the 1890’s in America. The civil war was long over and reconstruction was in full force in the south. But in Yonkers, New York hay and feed were king. Well at least if was for the money focused Horace Vandergerlder the owner of Vandergerlder Hay and Feed and one of the richest men in Yonkers. For some reason the charming and lovely Dolly Gallagher Levi set her heart to winning his hand in marriage. But being a matchmaker she has a unique way of achieving that goal. So begins the plot of Stewart and Herman’s musical, Hello Dolly.

Pueblo City Schools and Parks and Recreation are presenting their 52nd annual summer musical at Sangre De Cristo Arts Center. The show is a wild and fun production. The chorus numbers were filled with youngsters of all ages and skill levels. One of the wonderful aspects of the traditional summer shows is the outstanding large chorus numbers highlighting the talent of Pueblo’s youth. And this year’s show held up to that tradition.

The two above-mentioned leads were exceptionally portrayed by Miss Jenilyn Bartolo as Dolly and Mr. Zachary Friberg as Horace. Both showed their veteran skills. They were wonderful in all aspects of the stage including an exceptional chemistry. Both I am sure will go on to have very successful stage careers either here or wherever their lives take them.

As sometimes happens in stage shows the secondary characters become standouts and shine brightly upon the stage. This production was no exception. Torren Friberg simply outstandingly portrayed the role of Mr. Cornelius Hackl. He did a wonderful job of walking the line between humor and romance a difficult line to walk. Equally funny and just as well played was his young sidekick Barnaby Tucker well acted by Andrew Alfonso. The two kept the audience laughing and the plot moving along. They were charming and a pleasure to watch.

The most exceptional talent on the stage last night was without a doubt the young Sierra Reynolds as Irene Molloy, the proprietor of Molloy’s Hat Store. She is amazing while she works hard at getting Cornelius and his protégée all worked and then shut them down. She claims, “It will be good practice for when we are married.” Sierra commanded the stage in all aspects whenever she appeared. Her graceful and lovely voice filled the theater. Her acting was believable and joyous. She is a joy to the cast and well worth the cost of a ticket. Thank you Miss Reynolds. This reviewer looks forward to seeing more of this young lady on the Pueblo stage.

One complaint of the night was the grueling heat in the theater. It was revealed that the cooling system is computer controlled and not turned on till too late. The audience was glad to have their playbills to use as fans. The other was minor, but bothered this reviewer. During the parade scene the person portraying the Statue of Liberty held her lamp in her left hand and book in her right. The actual statue is reversed. Please take a night and enjoy the remaining shows. The show runs nightly at 7:30pm until July 22nd. Tickets are available by calling the Arts Center at, 719-295-7200 or at the door.

-John M. Valdez, ReviewerPPAG