East Hampton High School To Present 'Hello, Dolly!'

“Hello, Dolly!” the musical that enjoyed a wildly successful Broadway run in the 1960s and has been performed by countless community and school theater groups in the decades since, will be presented by the students of East Hampton High School this weekend.

“I’ve always loved it. It’s always been one of my favorite shows,” said director Debra Mansir, who is the program’s coordinator for the East Hampton School District when she isn’t wrangling cast members for one of the high school’s musicals, or other middle school and elementary school plays she has been directing for the past 17 years.

A self-described “theater geek” since her parents took her to see “The King and I” when she was 8, Ms. Mansir saw a revival of “Hello, Dolly!” on Broadway two years ago and thought it would be a good fit for the high school’s current crop of drama students.

Senior Reghan Anderson will play the lead role of Dolly Gallagher Levi, the widowed matchmaker, whose return to turn-of-the-20th-century New York City is cause for great cheer, while junior Aiden Cooper will play the role of Horace Vandergelder, the grumpy but wealthy Yonkers widower businessman for whom Dolly is ostensibly searching for a new wife.

They are joined by a supporting cast of more than 60 actors, musicians and stagehands.

“Hello, Dolly!” with music and lyrics by Jerry Herman and book by Michael Stewart, was a huge hit on Broadway at the same time Beatlemania ruled the popular air waves, and the original cast album even hit No. 1 on the Billboard charts in the summer of 1964. Yet, it might seem to be a bit old-fashioned for students who have grown accustomed to staging productions such as “Les Misérables,” “Billy Elliot” or “Rent.”

But that’s not the case, according to Ms. Mansir. “They embrace it,” she said.

They must, given the hours upon hours of hard work that have gone into the production. Auditions were held before Thanksgiving, and students learned the songs and worked on their lines through Christmas break. When school resumed in January, “we hit the ground running,” Ms. Mansir said.

Broadway musicals, with improbable plots often serving as vehicles to string a series of popular songs along, require the audience to suspend their disbelief. But with the curtain set to rise less than a week away, the scene in the high school auditorium on Sunday for the first of three days of full dress rehearsals was enough to strain anyone’s credulity that the cast would be ready.

Actors flubbed lines, forgot to use the newly installed prop door when entering the set, and missed their musical cues on some of the ensemble numbers. With many families still away for winter break, assistant director Jayne Freedman found herself filling in for a missing waiter here, or dance partner there, while musical director Troy Grindle conducted the shell of his pit orchestra.

“You’re always surprised that it finds a way to fall together,” said Colin Freedman, who plays one of the lead roles, that of Cornelius Hackl, the chief clerk of Mr. Vandergelder’s store. “It magically clicks.”

“It’s exciting to see it start to jell after all the time and effort,” added high school chorus teacher Dylan Greene, who besides serving as vocal coach for this production, was designing the lighting for the show. “If I were to compare this moment to doing a puzzle, I’d say I’ve got the outer edge filled out and I’m now starting to fill it in,” he said of that work.

Others, like Erin Cadger, who plays Irene Malloy, the owner of a New York hat shop, said Ms. Mansir made things easy. “I’ve always loved it. I’ve loved it since fourth grade,” she said. “There is something about the way Ms. Mansir directs. It’s never stressful.”

Reghan Anderson is another veteran performer, who said she is hoping to minor in theater when she attends the State University of New York at Potsdam next year to study education. “I don’t want to give it up. It’s been part of me for so long,” she said, adding that the magic of theater is that “you put all this preparation in for only three shows. It’s not permanent, but you carry those memories with you.”

Her co-star, Aiden Cooper, has also been acting since he played the king in his class’s fourth grade production of “Cinderella.” He said being involved in theater productions was like being part of a big family. “It’s definitely hard. It a big commitment,” he said, “but you don’t see it as hard because you are having too much fun with your friends.”

For her part, Ms. Mansir said it is gratifying to watch her young charges mature. “It’s just incredible to see how they’ve grown,” she said. “It’s such a joy seeing their poise, confidence, and talents develop.”

Performances of “Hello, Dolly!” will be in the East Hampton High School auditorium at 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, February 28 and 29, and 2 p.m. on Sunday, March 1. Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for senior citizens and students. Call 631-329-6462 for ticket information.