One of Broadway's most beloved musicals was reborn in 2017, when producer Scott Rudin and director Jerry Zaks brought back the irresistibly meddlesome widow Dolly Gallagher Levi in the form of Bette Midler. Winner of Tony Awards for Best Musical Revival and Best Performance By a Leading Actress in a Musical, their colorful new Hello, Dolly! hit the road in 2018 with Tony Award–winning Betty Buckley in the brassy title role.

The Dolly saga extends nearly two centuries into the past, when John Oxenford's 1835 play A Day Well Spent was adapted by Johann Nestroy into the farce He Will Go on a Spree or He'll Have Himself a Good Time. Thornton Wilder subsequently transformed it into a hit 1955 comedy, The Matchmaker, with Ruth Gordon as Dolly Levi. Producer David Merrick thought Wilder's play would make a great musical, and he was correct.

With music and lyrics by Jerry Herman, Dolly originally was written for Ethel Merman, who declined the role. Carol Channing stepped in to star in the original 1964 production, which was directed and choreographed by Gower Champion. Known as both Dolly, A Damned Exasperating Woman and Call on Dolly before it reached Broadway, the show's title was changed due to the popularity of Louis Armstrong's iconic version of "Hello, Dolly," which dislodged the Beatles from the top of Billboard's singles chart.

With Channing in charge, Hello, Dolly! won 10 Tony Awards, including Best Musical and Best Performance By a Leading Actress in a Musical. Dolly has always been a star vehicle, and Ginger Rogers, Martha Raye, Betty Grable, Pearl Bailey (leading an all-black cast), Phyllis Diller, and, finally, Ethel Merman all played the musical meddler after Channing stepped down in 1965. Hello, Dolly! closed in 1970 after 2,844 performances, making it the longest-running Broadway show to date.

Identical to the Broadway version down to its Currier and Ives pastel set and high-stepping Gay Nineties dance moves, the Hello, Dolly! touring production offers a visual feast to accompany Jerry Herman's pop-perfect songs. Anyone enjoying Dolly today should take pride in being part of this timeless show's long, rich pedigree.