Directed by Daniel Goldstein, who directed the recent Broadway revival of Godspell as well as Goodspeed's The Unauthorized Autobiography of Samantha Brown, performances will continue through Sept. 8.
Joining Blackhurst (Everything the Traffic Will Allow, Happy Hunting at The York Theatre, The Nutty Professor), who will star as Dolly Levi, will be Ashley Brown (Mary Poppins, Beauty and the Beast) as Irene Malloy, Tony nominee Tony Sheldon (Priscilla Queen of the Desert) as Horace Vandergelder, Jeremy Morse as Barnaby Tucker, Brooke Shapiro as Ermengarde, Spencer Moses (Guys and Dolls, The Farnsworth Invention) as Cornelius Hackl, Charles MacEachern as Ambrose Kemper and Catherine Blades (Bye Bye Birdie) as Minnie Fay.
Rounding out the ensemble are Maddy Apple, Will Burton, Jack Doyle (Young Frankenstein, The Music Man, The Will Rogers Follies), Steve Geary (Cats, Miss Saigon, Aida, Contact), Drew Humphrey (Irving Berlin's White Christmas), Matthew Kilgore (Irving Berlin's White Christmas), Frankie Paparone (Shrek The Musical), Kristyn Pope (Irving Berlin's White Christmas), Robbie Smith, Kathryn Lin Terza and Melodie Wolford. The swings are Melissa Chaty and Gregory Dassonville.
Hello, Dolly! features music and lyrics by Jerry Herman with a book by Michael Stewart based on Thornton Wilder's The Matchmaker. Herman's score includes classics such as "Put On Your Sunday Clothes," "Before the Parade Passes By" and "It Only Takes a Moment."
Other members of the creative team include choreographer Kelli Barclay, scenic designer Adrian W. Jones, costume designer Wade Laboissonniere, lighting designer Jason Lyons, sound designer Jay Hilton and music director Michael O'Flaherty. F. Wade Russo will be assistant music director, and orchestrations will be provided by Dan DeLange. Hello, Dolly! is produced for Goodspeed Musicals by Michael P. Price.
Goodspeed Opera House is located at 6 Main Street in East Haddam, CT. For more information and tickets, call (860) 873-8668 or visit Goodspeed.org.