Hello, Ruth! Ruth Williamson and Hello, Dolly!
BroadwayWorld.com
begins its review of Ruth Williamson’s star turn as Dolly with the following,
“When putting together an entertaining revival of a beloved musical theater
entity such as HELLO, DOLLY! it helps to have a fresh perspective of such a
familiar show, yet still have enough reverence to produce a work that honors
its source material. With absolute certainty, 3D Theatricals' production of the
Jerry Herman classic achieves this goal with great sincerity, providing the
audience with a thoroughly splendid, fun, and engaging new show. Thanks to its
adorable premise that's been brought to life by an outstanding ensemble
cast—wonderfully led by Broadway vet Ruth Williamson in the title role—HELLO,
DOLLY! no doubt continues to please its audiences at the OC Pavilion Theatre in
Santa Ana. The songs are well-sung, the dancing is exceptional, and the
comedy is beguiling.”
David Allen Jones and Ruth Williamson |
So far, Ruth Williamson has only done one
production of Hello, Dolly! However, like most actresses who have taken on this
role, she cannot wait to do it again. A
friend of Ruth’s, TJ Dawson, someone she had worked with previously, opened a
theater in Orange County, south of LA called Three D Theatricals, a company
that he had opened with his siblings. She didn’t know this but she was
complaining on Facebook that she couldn’t get any summer stock work. What was
going on? This was the first time in years that she did not have any summer
stock jobs.
TJ saw this and called Ruth
and asked if she would like to do Hello, Dolly! She immediately said yes and
off she went.
Probably hearing
Louis Armstrong sing Hello, Dolly! when she was a ten year old kid are her
first recollections of hearing this iconic song. It was such a pop hit.
BroadwayWorld.com had the following to say about Dolly’s director, “Under the direction of director Calvin Remsberg, HELLO, DOLLY! has that palpable plucky spirit of a show trying its darndest to entertain you... and succeeds.” The show was chock full of extraordinary dancers. There were so many young people in the ensemble who were remarkable gymnasts. The Waiter’s Gallop was quite something. It bore a strong resemblance to the original but it was also quite athletic. Because there were so many brilliant young people in the show, they took advantage of that. It was used throughout the show.
That production
ran four weeks. Prior to playing Dolly, Ruth has only seen one other actress
take on the role, the original, Carol Channing. Ruth loves Carol Channing.
Especially since seeing Dori Berenstein’s documentary, Carol Channing: Larger Than Life. “There is nobody like Carol
Channing.”
Ruth is very
proud of her own production of Dolly. She feels that it was beautifully
produced. It was in a gorgeous theater called The Orange County Pavilion. It
actually looked like the Harmonia Gardens. Very ornate and very red and gold
and old fashioned and it was the perfect setting for Dolly.
Ruth just loves
the arc of this character. Here is a woman who is not a youngster, a widow, who
decides she has to get back into the flow of life. She is tired of not living a
full life. She sets out to get this guy and she gets him. Not a common story for
an older woman. The ONLY thing she didn’t like about this production was the
hour drive to and from the theater she had to make each night. The production
itself comes with no complaints. She had a brilliant Vandergelder, David Allen
Jones, who is well known to LA audiences. It was beautifully done. She actually
got to wear one of Carol’s Dolly headdresses at one point. Her read feathers
were once worn by Channing so she felt very honored.
Ruth has two
favorite moments in the show. The first takes place at the end of Act One, the
reprise to “Parade”. She is so determined to rejoin life. Ruth just loves that
moment. She also loves the moment at the end of the show when she and Horace
realize they belong with each other.
Who would she
like to see play Dolly? Ruth! Ruth!! Ruth!!! She would have loved to have seen
Dorothy Louden play Dolly. Dorothy did do a production of The Matchmaker for The Roundabout Theater which was panned by the
critics. She did have her Dolly Levi moment on Broadway in Jerry’s Girls.
Ruth admits that
she was terrified on her opening night. During the tag of I Put My Hand In, “I twist a little, stir a little, him a little,
her a little…”, she was petrified of those lyrics as are other Dollys I have
interviewed. It’s wordy AND it has to fit! She couldn’t get it right in
rehearsal. She screwed it up almost every time, and the anticipation of that
moment in the show was scary. She was afraid she would once again screw it up.
Of course, she didn’t.
What makes a good Dolly?
Ruth believes
that every woman who plays Dolly must have a modicum of charm and if not a
strong personality, at least, a strong persona. Ruth says she can put on the
charm and she has a strong personality. Dolly has to be warm. Ruth has all of those qualities in spades.
By the time the
show opened, they were in very good shape so Ruth doesn’t recall any tweaking
once the show was up and running. Opening night was a wonderful occasion with
many friends in the audience cheering her on. Coming out in her wedding gown,
for the curtain call, that was designed for this production gave her a very
strong sense of accomplishment.
She was always the bridesmaid, never the bride.
She usually played second banana. Here she was, the STAR of the show! She’s had that experience twice and both
times as Jerry’s girls, Dolly and Mame. She loves her Jerry Herman. “He’s a
freaking genius”. She is so glad they finally honored him at the Kennedy Center
Honors. She has known Jerry for many years. She knows Jerry from a production
of Mack and Mable that she had done
at Papermill Playhouse in 1988. She would go on to play Jacqueline in La Cage
Aux Folles on Broadway in 2004. She got to know him even better then. She
thinks Jerry is the nicest man in the world. She doesn’t think there are many as talented as he. “He
also has a heart as big as the ocean.”
She feels that that comes through in his work. He loves women, clearly. He
writes so beautifully for them.
She experienced
great joy doing Dolly. It’s such a fun ride. She always looks for the joy in
her work. Since doing Dolly, that show
put her in touch with the true joy of performance. It rekindled that feeling
from her youth. It was a happy time. She had so much fun doing it and she
considers it the highlight of her career. She’ll always carry that with her.
Once the show
settled into the run, she settled into a routine. As mentioned earlier, Ruth
did have an hour drive to and from the theater each night. She tried to relax
as much as possible. It is an exhausting show and she had to carry it. It was
during the summer, so she would take out time to lie by her pool in LA. She
would do a vocal warm up and go over lyrics each night before departing for the
show.
Ruth’s best
friend, Brian, who she lives with, was at both opening and closing night. He
said the show had grown so much and that meant a lot to Ruth. That the show had
evolved and blossomed. She trusts his
eye so it did carry weight.
The Biggest change Ruth has seen in this
industry since first starting
The biggest
change that Ruth has seen in this industry since first getting into it is that
now it so youth oriented. When she walks into an audition now, casting
directors are twenty five years young. A lot of them don’t know the history of
the people who are walking into their offices. Years ago, Ruth worked with
Alice Ghostly. Certainly everyone my age knows who she is. She would walk into
casting offices in her later years and they didn’t know who she was! Casting
directors need to be educated in who they are seeing and who they are casting.
They just don’t have a history. I don’t think it has the heart it used to.
In closing, Ruth says it is
so refreshing to see and play such a great part for an older woman who is so
full of life and still so vital, a woman who still wants to find a man and
still wants to succeed. She is getting by by the seat of her pants and her
smarts. Unfortunately, Jerry did not see this production but let’s hope that
the opportunity presents itself very SOON!Thank you to Ruth Williamson for the gifts you have given to the world and continue to give!
With grateful XOXOXs ,
Check out my site celebrating my forthcoming book on Hello, Dolly!
I want this to be a definitive account of Hello, Dolly! If any of you reading this have appeared in any production of Dolly, I'm interested in speaking with you!
Do you have any pics? If you have anything to add or share, please contact me at Richard@RichardSkipper.com.
NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED. FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY!
I want this to be a definitive account of Hello, Dolly! If any of you reading this have appeared in any production of Dolly, I'm interested in speaking with you!
Do you have any pics? If you have anything to add or share, please contact me at Richard@RichardSkipper.com.
NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED. FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY!
June 29
7-9pm
7-9pm
BARNES AND NOBLE UPPER EAST SIDE, 150 East 86th Street
RICHARD SKIPPER CELEBRATES Ronald Young
In his new memoir, "The Only Boy Who Danced: A Journey
from Oklahoma to Broadway and Beyond", Ronald Young details an eventful
life in the theater. The Only Boy Who Danced: A Journey from Oklahoma to Broadway
and Beyond.
Sometimes Broadway dreams do come true. Fresh from the obscurity of living in the small farming community of Grove, Oklahoma, Ronald Young, at 22, is catapulted onto New York City's "Great White Way"... BROADWAY. After arriving in Manhattan on a Friday, he auditions for his first Broadway show on Monday. Bingo! After three call back auditions he snags his first dancing role in the soon to be mega hit "HELLO, DOLLY!" directed and choreographed by Gower Champion and starring Carol Channing. Armed with three music degrees and lots of enthusiasm he embarks on his career on Broadway.
His resume includes working with some of the legends of the theater: Ethel Merman, Shirley Booth, Angela Lansbury, Tommy Tune, Bernadette Peters, Joel Gray, Chita Rivera, Sandy Duncan, Georgia Engel and many others. He appeared in a host of shows: "MAME," "GEORGE M!" "THE BOY FRIEND," "MY ONE AND ONLY," "A CHORUS LINE" and the films "HAIR" and "ANNIE."
"THE ONLY BOY WHO DANCED" is a series of compelling, riveting stories about Ronald Young's personal quest to make it on Broadway. If you or a friend have hidden aspirations to make it on the New York theatrical scene, you will enjoy his tips and suggestions on how to break through this tough barrier.
Richard Skipper and Ronald Young are sitting down for an exploration of Ronald's incredible career in show business. Email Richard at Richard@RichardSkipper.com for more info
Please do what YOU can to be more aware that words and actions DO HURT...but they can also heal and help!
My blog tomorrow will be..My 500th BLOG!!!!!
Thank you, to all the mentioned in this blog!
Thank you, to all the mentioned in this blog!
Here's to an INCREDIBLE tomorrow for ALL...with NO challenges!
Please contribute to the DR. CAROL CHANNING and HARRY KULLIJIAN FOUNDATION FOR THE ARTS
TILL TOMORROW...HERE'S TO AN ARTS FILLED DAY
Richard Skipper, Richard@RichardSkipper.com
This Blog is dedicated to ALL THE DOLLYS and ANYONE who has EVER had a connection with ANY of them on ANY Level!
Comments
Post a Comment