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Hello, Bette



When I was in high school one of the great treats of my life was taking the New Haven Railroad  from Hartford to New York City for Wednesday matinee day with my mother. We didn't do it very often because of the expense, and our lunch in New York was usually at the automat -- no Sardi's for these theater goers -- but what a treat it was. One of the plays we saw was "Hello, Dolly, with Ginger Rogers in the title role. Over fifty years later people still ask me if I saw Carol Channing in her signature role and I say happily, "No, I saw my dancing idol, Ginger Rogers." It's still a very happy memory.
 

Last fall I saw that there would be revival of the play with Bette Midler opening in the spring. I ordered tickets months ahead and kept busy with life. But May came around and I saw a beautiful and touching production with Bette Midler, now my perfect Dolly. When I saw Hello Dolly at sixteen, I couldn't fathom what life might be like for an older woman making her way in the world alone, as Dolly Levi does in the play. Now I totally understand it and had so much appreciation for the character, the role and Bette Midler. It's a beautiful production and if you're a fan of musicals or theater or fun, well worth seeing.

I played Stagedoor Buttercup after the show. Alas, Bette Midler didn't come out for autographs the night I saw it, I did get David Hyde Pierce's autograph on my program, which made my evening of theater complete.

I'm completing two pieces of unfinished business with this post. The first is my A to Z blogging. I omitted H and while I will be doing a post about Alexander Hamilton, I am counting this post as "H." The second piece of business is announcing the winner of the Mile A Day in May Challenge.  The winner is Jeannette at Longwell Crew. Jeannette, I have a novel and a book tote bag for you. Congratulations and thanks to all the walkers for keeping me company.

I'm reading and reading these days and did my first post on  Coffee Light and Mysteries Noir in a long time. I shared my thoughts on Jane Harper's terrific mystery, "Dry." I hope you will stop by and visit.

As ever, thanks for visiting and take good care! 


7 comments

~Lavender Dreamer~ said...

I love Bette Midler and bet she is dynamite in this role! Congrats to the winner of your giveaway too! Thanks again for the inspiration! Hugs!

Mevely317 said...

How I'd love to see 'Dolly' on stage ... particularly with Bette in the starring role!

As a child, I couldn't imagine an automat. Then, in '65 we visited the City and my dad took me to one for lunch. Excited!

TARYTERRE said...

bette midler is a great actress. i'm sure she did a stellar job in this role. glad you got to see her performance.

Melinda said...

I am sure this was AWESOME!!!

So fun.

M : )

Barbara In Caneyhead said...

What sweet memories! And to go back and see the show again with a greater appreciation for it. One famous autograph is always better than none!
Visit me @ Life & Faith in Caneyhead. 😉

Mimi said...

I love reading your city stories. I remember reading about automats and thinking that was the most exotic thing ever. No such thing in my rural area. I had not thought about watching Dolly (the movie) again now I'm at a different stage of life. Maybe I should. And on the mystery front, I just discovered the Flavia books. Just finished the first one and I'm ready to dive into the next one. Such fun!

Deanna Rabe - Creekside Cottage Blog said...

I can imagine that Bette is excellent in that role! That's such an enjoyable musical!