We saved our curving staircases from Anything Goes, and rebuilt them to top out at about 9 feet high for the grand entrance in Hello, Dolly! Two nine foot tall entrances also mean two nine foot tall exits which means more staircases offstage. The whole thing was moved offstage for Magnet Arts Night, then back, and luckily stayed in place for the rest of the run. The railings never got finished but the Harmonia Gardens set stopped the show for 10 secondsof applause on opening night, and every night after!
Here's the Vandergelder Hay and Feed store being built, complete with a trapdoor and rolling ladder.
Scenic painting begins on the Vandergelder store.
Stage Crew painted a 15 x 50' sepia mural of old New York for the opening, and the parade scene. Finding a photo with just the right proportions and just the right look was tougher than we thought, we added buildings and streets and put the whole thing on five overhead projector sheets. After cartooning it in with charcoal pencils we started painting it. That's Mateo showing proper brush technique. We were suckered into using milk based paint for this scene
(never again!) we usually (always!) use latex.
Almost all other work, including rehearsal, had to stop to spead this magnificent drop out on the stage floor.
The finished drop on Sunday, March 26, 2000.
No one ever got around to completing the windows.We also had a ten foot long train...
Here's Dolly, Ambrose and Ermengarde plotting to get the couple married.
If you ever build a rolling ladder take the extra time to spread the bottom rollers out more.
The Molloy set change took an objectionably long time, but the running and hiding scenes went off perfectly. You can even see the dirt on Barnaby's knees.
We got Elegance! (and we did too!)
Horace tries to escape Miss Ernestina Money at the Harmonia Gardens. This scene is scripted to play outside the restaurant, but we couldn't resist putting Horace on the landing during the set change (checking his watch as usual). Ernestina enters, flirts with Rudolph, who tries to expel her, and hooks onto Horace just as he's trying to sneak away.
The waiters turn out for Hello, Dolly!
The original Dolly! set sketch.
Showtimes
Friday, March 24, 2000 - 7:30 pm
Saturday, March 25, 2000 - 7:30 pm
Sunday, March 26, 2000 - 2:00 pmFriday, March 31, 2000 - 7:30 pm
Saturday, April 1, 2000 - 7:30 pmScenes from the second week of the show will be posted eventually.
