Pickering Musical Society in rehearsals for its last production Hello, Dolly! - how to get tickets
The buzz is building in Pickering as rehearsals intensify and preparations gather pace for the highly anticipated summer musical Hello, Dolly!
The Jerry Herman hit show will be the final musical presented by Pickering Musical Society.
Th Broadway classic is set to bring colour, charm and toe-tapping musical magic to the stage.
Set in bustling 1890s New York, Hello, Dolly! follows the irrepressible Dolly Gallagher Levi – a witty matchmaker, meddler, and professional “arranger of things – as she sets out to find a match not just for others, but for herself.
It is packed with musical numbers including Before the Parade Passes By, It Only Takes a Moment, Put on Your Sunday Clothes, and the show-stopping title song Hello, Dolly!
Rachel Anderson in th role of Dolly Levi, bringing warmth, charisma and comedic sparkle to the role made famous by Carol Channing, Barbra Streisand, and Bette Midler.
Tim Tubbs returns to the Kirk Theatre stage in the role of Horace Vandergelder, having last delighted audiences as Henry Higgins in the aociety’s production of My Fair Lady.
His return promises to bring wit and theatrical gravitas to the famously stubborn half-a-millionaire.
The xast also includes Stephen Temple as Cornelius Hackl and Jack Dobson as Barnaby Tucker, two adventure-seeking clerks from Yonkers, alongside Paula Cook as the stylish milliner Irene Molloy and Danielle Long as her assistant Minnie Fay.
Courtney Brown plays the romantically-frustrated Ermengarde, with Will Smithson as her passionate artist beau, Ambrose Kemper. Rounding out the cast is John Brooks as the uptight maître d’ Rudolph Reisenweber.
One of the most ambitious sets in the aociety’s history is coming together transforming the Kirk Theatre stage into everything from bustling 1890s New York streets to the opulent interiors of the famed Harmonia Gardens restaurant.
It’s a huge technical feat, with masses of equipment already installed in the theatre. Each set piece is being constructed to capture the grandeur and playfulness of the era, promising a truly immersive theatrical experience.
The wardrobe department, led by the experienced Maureen Symonds, is bringing 1890s fashion to life.
From flowing gowns and parasols to straw boaters and pinstripes, the costumes are starting to arrive.
The attention to period detail will transport audiences to a world of elegance, charm, and timeless theatrical glamour.
With Luke Arnold directing and Clive Wass returning as musical director, Hello, Dolly! is shaping up to be another vibrant and polished production.
“It is extremely sad that this will be our final musical production. However, we do not aim to go quietly,” said Luke.
“The team have pulled out all the stops to create what will be our most extravagant production.
“I amy grateful to friends and past members for coming out to help and support the production, both onstage and behind the scenes, bringing with them equipment, set, and technical know-how.”
Hello, Dolly! is at the Kirk Theatre, Pickering, from Tuesday June 10until Saturday June 14, daily at 7.30pm with a Saturday matinee at 2.30pm.
Tickets are priced at £18 standard and £16 for concessions and are available now on 01751 474833, in person at the Kirk Theatre box office, open Tuesdays from 11am to 1pm and at www.kirktheatre.co.uk