With just days left to go, the cast of “Hello, Dolly!” at Lake Forest High School is pulling together all aspects of the musical.
“We rehearse the blocking,” said Gracie Stockton, who plays the role of Ernestina Money and is also student director. “Then we rehearse the singing. Then we rehearse the dancing. About a month out, you combine all those things.”
For a production like this, timing is key.
“We’ve been working on keeping it fast paced,” said Dana Pepowski, a senior who plays the title role of Dolly Levi. “We’ve been working on quick set changes.”
During a dress rehearsal on April 21, the cast and crew deal with inconsistent microphones, stage curtain difficulties, music cues and occasional actor missteps.
John Wanninger, an English teacher who is co-directing the production along with fellow teacher Kelly MacBlane, remains undaunted.
“Slowly we bring it all together,” Wanninger said.
“Hello, Dolly!” is a fairly large production with around 35 performers in the cast and about 15 students working behind the scenes, crew members said.
“It takes a village to put on a show,” Stockton said.
The musical was adapted from a play called “The Matchmaker” by Thorton Wilder.
“[The Matchmaker] wasn’t a huge hit,” Wanninger said. “When it was adopted into the musical , it became a huge hit, one of the biggest in Broadway history. It allowed Wilder to retire in great style.”
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The play is centered around Dolly Levi, a widow and matchmaker living during the turn of the last century who decides she needs to find a husband for herself. It’s a farce filled with mistaken identities, secret rendezvous and exciting twists and turns, according to the Thorton Wilder Society website.
“It’s really just a fun show,” said Jane Margolis, a junior who plays the role of Irene Molloy.
“Hello, Dolly!” will be performed at 7 p.m. on April 28, 29 and 30 at Lake Forest High School, 1285 N. McKinley Road.
Tickets are $17 for adults and $10 for students and seniors.
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