--Tony Award winner Betty Buckley is the latest icon to take on the role of Dolly
Gallagher Levi in the musical comedy classic Hello, Dolly! Buckley has hit the
road in the Tony-winning production bringing this well-loved tale of a
matchmaker determined to land a half a millionaire to theatre fans from coast
to coast. I recently sat down with a popular performer to find out more about
her must-see star turn.
--Betty Buckley! So good to see you.
--Paul Wontorek, how are you? --I'm so oh my
god you're in Hello, Dolly! --I know isn't it crazy?
--Are you excited? --Yeah yeah. I got said
you won't believe this I got a call from Scott Rudin. They want you to take the
new production of Hello, Dolly! on the road for the year. I was like What? I was
like I have to call you back. And I was like trying to process it in my hotel
room in New Orleans. I was like I called him back. Yes, of course!
--She's a wonderful
woman. We all love Dolly. --She's kind of
flawless. --Sounds like something it was a no-brainer
for you once you actually sort of put thought into it. Why is it a no-brainer?
--Well, to be honest with you, I'd seen the show when I was a teenager. And then
I my senior year in college, I came to New York on a vacation and my friend who
lived here already took me to see Pearl Bailey. Oh!
--So, that was pretty exciting,
and but to be honest with you, utterly honest with you, I, this is gonna be
like sacrilege to say this because everybody loves Hello, Dolly! and so many
people were deeply moved by it as children. And you know like our director
Jerry Zaks and our producer Scott Rudin have loved it from the time they were
boys, you know. I never really got it, you know, until I saw the show a year ago
right before the Tonys. And I was gobsmacked. I thought it was truly one of
the greatest pieces of musical theater I've ever seen.
I understood the story for the first time, I was deeply moved by it, along
with the rest of the audience. I mean I was standing at the end aww. I
turned to my brother, who's with me and my friend Kathy, and I was like
this is the greatest piece of musical theater I've ever seen! And they're just
literally laughing at me. You know and when Midler comes around the passerelle
for her last walk down around, I was on the second row, you know, so I was like
trying to touch her just like everybody else in the first row. I was like a mall
girl. It was like so silly you know? And I just love her. I love her.
--Everyone is excited to hear you sing the score. --Thank you
--I mean, let's talk about these
songs Jerry Herman classics. --Classics
--What are you really excited to dig your voice
into? --Well they're all, the scores beautiful.
I think, you know I did another Jerry
Herman show Dear World in London a few years ago with Gillian Lynne the great
Gillian Lynne was our director. But yeah I've been always been a fan of his, and
but I think of it as you know the great classic musical comedy, you know, kind of.
And I've never really sat down and analyzed the score before now. And it's
like beautiful, beautiful music. And these incredible new arrangements, it's just
gorgeous music.
--There's so many different kinds of songs you get to do throughout
--I haven't sung
like this in a long time. I mean the last musical like there was Grey Gardens in
Sag Harbor and then in LA at the Ahmanson. And that wasn't challenging to
sing, but for Big Edie at all, but I haven't used that Broadway ringing belt
thing for a long time. And so, you know, reclaiming that, that was that child that
little girl's voice that was like Broadway! you know? That all that has really been
joyous for me. You know because I've been singing with you know jazz musicians and
trying to be chill and cool and stuff like that. And this is way
fun you know? It's really cool. --No, I'm excited because I fell in love with all
this because of listening to you sing this way.
--Aww, thank you. Thank you. --So I'm excited for this. This
production, it made me fall in love with Hello, Dolly! too. And it was not one of my
favorite shows, but I feel like this production there's just something really
special --It's everything.
--It's just sort of magic. --This production is really special.
The storytelling is impeccable, and our cast is out of this
world. I mean, they are so adorable, so cute, and and sing like angels. And
they're funny, you know, and they are dancers. They just amaze me. It's like I'm
dancing on stage with these amazing dancers! It's so great.
--And look at your
look how big your name is. I mean, it's exciting to see your name and that big
of a font on a poster, right? I mean that's exciting. Does that still get
exciting for you?
--Yeah.... --Yeah!
--How does it feel that you're gonna be like leading this
company, bringing this company around the country. How do you
feel at this point in your career taking on something like that. And I don't have
you done a national tour before?
--Packing your bags. Unpacking. --It's like a gypsy caravan,
honestly. Fortunately Scott Rudin is a dog lover, and I have three dogs.
Apparently there's like 12 dogs traveling with our whole group with a 67
odd some odd people that are on the road together. So, we're all dog lovers and we
all have our dogs, and it's gonna be really, it's gonna be interesting to see
how this works, you know.
--So all of these singers and dancers and actors and Betty
Buckley, and all these dogs are hitting the road with Hello, Dolly!
--Yes we are. --I love it
--Yeah, it's gonna be fun, I think.
--What do you want audiences to know about
this show? I mean they definitely heard about the Broadway production.
--Well, I think production
is truly one of the best pieces of musical theater I've ever seen, that I've
ever experienced. I mean it's the most joyous, spectacularly beautiful, greatest
storytelling. I think if they miss it, they're gonna regret it because this
this is like this is a very special production. And I'm really honored to be
the quarterback or the team captain as it were, whatever. I'm just so honored.
--I can't wait. I can't wait to see it. Congratulations.
--When are you coming? --I'm gonna come to every city.
I'm gonna follow you. --Oh, come on, Paul!
--I'm gonna take care of your dogs.
--Okay --I'll take care of the dogs.
--You're great. You're great. --I can't wait.
--Thank you --Congratulations.
--Thank you so much.