The Seton Catholic drama department’s fall show, Hello Dolly! took place on November 3rd – 6th with four total performances. The Voice of the Saints attended the Nov. 3, 7:00 pm show, and the cast put on a performance beyond their years! In this article, we will provide you with our full review plus some bonus interview questions from several of the cast members.

Hello Dolly! is a refreshing blend of music, romance, and comedy that was first performed on Broadway in 1964. The musical follows the adventures of Dolly Levi who possesses the gift of finding the perfect match for anyone! Upon coming to Yonkers, New York she is met with her biggest challenge yet. Dolly is met with the seemingly impossible task of finding a wife for Horace Vandergelder, a moderately wealthy, grumpy man. In doing so the two characters end up falling in love with one another and put aside their differences to be with one another.

The performers earned standing ovations after several musical numbers but my personal favorite was “Before The Parade Passes By” in the second act. You could really feel the emotion of the situation as Dolly realizes she is missing out on her own love life while busy orchestrating others’.

With standout performances from Michael Rundell (Peter Hatzinger Friday/Sunday) as Horace and Shannon Hayes as Dolly, the musical featured a young but star-studded cast. For many of the performers, this was their first show. But it didn’t look like it. Everyone seemed to play off each other naturally and not many interactions felt forced. When asked what it was like to be on stage and what he’s learned throughout this whole process, seventh-grader and first-time Seton Catholic actor Victor Bohrer replied, “The first time is always the worst time because you’ll mess up but it always gets better from there.” And it did in fact get better, which eleventh-grader and first-time performer Paul Ajak told me saying, “each night was better than the last”.

For ten dollars a ticket the provided seating reached nearly full capacity at the Thursday night performance and seating was even harder to find at the weekend shows. Elizabeth Hotalen, an audience member and key member of previous Seton Shows, had this to say about the show, “Wonderful performance, Shannon’s comedic timing was amazing. The cast’s hard work definitely paid off”. 

When asked about the show, tenth-grader Peyton Force had this to say, “The show was a lot of fun but also very stressful. But I’m so glad I was surrounded by this cast of amazing actors. They were so influential and it was so surreal seeing all of it come together and just overall an unbeatable feeling.” It seems like no matter who you ask the consensus is the same. This cast of students worked extremely hard and what a great feeling it must have been to see all of their efforts pay off in such a great show! The Performing Arts department led by Jan DeAngelo here at Seton Catholic never fails to put on a stunning performance.

FULL CAST LIST

Dolly Levi  —  Shannon Hayes

Horace Vandergelder  —  Micheal Rundell*/Peter Hatzinger**

Cornelius Hackl  —  Victor Bohrer

Barnaby Tucker  —  Benjamin Powell

Irene Molloy  —  Isabella Williams*/Bridget Curran**

Minnie Fay  —  Mary Redmore*/Samara de Souza**

Ermengarde  —  Peyton Force*/Sarah Fiacco**

Ambrose Kemper  —  Adam Buchanan

Rudolph  —  Paul Ajak

Stanley  —  Cooper Guy

Ernestina Money  —  Danni Standish*/Ziva Soden**

Judge  —  Paul Cronin

Mrs. Rose  —  Sarah Barrows*/Abigail Durand**

* Thursday/Saturday ** Friday/Sunday