Well, Hello

​I came across this the other week until after the Holiday Music Fest.  It's not just that I discovered such a special performance, but I never even knew about this event in 1977 -- nor did friends from New York who are Broadway mavens.  It’s a shame there’s no video, but just at least having the audio of this one song and the photo of the moment is wonderful.  It was a one-night only concert with Mary Martin and Ethel Merman – which apparently sold out so fast they did a second night.
 
This one song, though, must have been a highlight, if not the highlight -- after all, Mary Martin originated the role in London, and Ethel Merman was the final actress to play the role on Broadway.  It’s them singing “Hello, Dolly!”  And even just being audio, there are some funny, wonderful things in it.  Indeed, Ethel Merman's first line is delivered with such style that's she's able to draw huge laughs from just three words that aren't even a joke.  And Mary Martin has one particular joke soon after -- that will be SO clear, an allusion to one of her other famous shows -- which fits the lyrics spot-on perfectly and stops the song with cheers from the audience. 

​Also, some user comments suggest that voice of the head maitre d' you hear (who you speaks throughout the introduction and is also the last voice before they arrive) sounds like Cyril Ritchard…and I was pretty sure it was.  And from a quick Internet check, he was indeed the host/narrator during the evening -- which is a bonus treat since, of course, he famously played 'Captain Hook' to Mary Martin's Peter Pan..
 
Though the two women get their solo and duet moments in the song, "Hello, Dolly!" is mostly a chorus number, so you have to use your imagination to envision the choreography and staging of the production, but since most people -- at least on these pages -- have seen what the staging does look like, since I've posted several videos of other versions, it should add to the joy.  But appreciating the audience's rapturous, and building reaction is part of the fun.