“Hello, Dolly!” opens tonight at the Hyde Park Opera House

“Hello, Dolly!” opens tonight, Thursday, July 19, at the historic Hyde Park Opera House on Main Street in Hyde Park. Shows are Thursday through Saturday, July 19-21 and 26-28 at 7 p.m. and Sunday, July 22 and 29, at 2 p.m. The musical is based on Thornton Wilder’s 1955 play “The Matchmaker.” Widowed matchmaker Dolly Gallagher Levi, played by Carol Spradling of Williston, ultimately finds her own match in the rich but grumpy Horace Vandergelder, played by the inimitable Doug McGown, originally from Passaic, N.J. The show also stars Rowan DerbyBurras from Essex as Irene, Sam Lewis from Johnson as Cornelius, Rosalie Wasser of Stowe as Minnie Fay, A.J. Banach from Colchester as Barnaby, and more than 20 other local actors and actresses. Director Danielle Sara Davis says, “‘Hello, Dolly!’ was the first record I ever played and I played it a lot! The core of this show is a strong, independent woman who becomes the heart of her community by infusing it with love and opportunity.” Music Director Dana LaClair will also be on stage, singing and dancing with the cast. This is her first time as music director for a full-scale production. Choreographer Taryn Colby has created show-stopping dance numbers for “Dancing” and “The Waiters’ Gallop.” Tickets are $18 for adults and $12 for students or seniors age 60 and up. All tickets are $10 for the Saturday, July 22, matinee at 2 p.m. Information and tickets: lcplayers.com. Box office: 888-4507.