* ABOUT THE PLAY *

So, why has this musical had such enduring popularity since it opened in 1964? Is it the eminently hummable score by Jerry Herman? Michael Stewart’s sprightly book based on Thornton Wilder’s farce The Matchmaker? The potential for beautiful sets, costumes, and choreography? The nostalgic appeal of New York City in the 1890s?  

The answer to all these questions is certainly yes. But the real reason it is produced over and over-all over the world-is its simple message: everyone wants and needs a happy ending. Every principal character begins the play dissatisfied in some way and spends her or his time trying to find a way out of the dilemma. That they all do is reassuring to us as we face our own problems.

I am fortunate to have parents who have always enjoyed the arts. As a child and teenager, I often went with them to the theatre-and during those years I saw some of the legendary Dollys strut their stuff: Pearl Baily, Ginger Rogers, and Libertad Lamarque (in Spanish in Mexico City). It would be many years later before my own career in theatre would begin, but I can’t help but think that those performances did their small part to nurture my love of the stage. And it is my hope that some facet of this production will do the same for someone in one of our audiences.

TOM McCLARY

 DIRECTOR