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March 28, 2006
ORANGE CITY, Iowa—Rehearsals are underway for the annual Tulip Festival Night Show, directed by Keith Allen and produced by Sharon Vermeer. Based on the play The Matchmaker by Thornton Wilder, Hello, Dolly! tells the story of New Yorker Dolly Levi, a matchmaker hired to arrange a marriage for half-millionaire Horace Vandergelder, owner of Vandergelder's Hay and Feed Store. A recent widow, Dolly comes to the conclusion that Vandergelder is her own perfect match. So when she arrives in the small town of Yonkers, she immediately plants seeds of doubt in Vandergelder's mind about Irene Molloy, the pretty young woman she has picked out for him. After Dolly and Vandergelder depart for New York, two of his employees, Cornelius and Barnaby, decide to take advantage of Vandergelder’s absence. The young men sneak off for their first-ever peek at the big city. They want to experience everything—maybe even kiss a girl! Upon arriving in New York, the two have the misfortune of spotting Vandergelder on the street. Attempting to escape unnoticed, they slip into Irene Molloy's hat shop, the very place Vandergelder has arranged to meet Dolly and Irene that very afternoon. Though Dolly and Irene attempt to hide the boys from Vandergelder, he quickly realizes, much to Dolly's delight, that his intended fiancée is hiding a roomful of men. Vandergelder storms out indignantly, which suits everyone just fine, for Cornelius is already smitten by Irene, and Irene has already admitted to her assistant, Minnie Fay, that she was about to accept Vandergelder's proposal only to escape the drudgeries of the hat shop. Dolly suggests the boys take Irene and Minnie Fay to dinner at the fashionable Harmonia Gardens to make amends for ruining the meeting with Vandergelder. Although Cornelius and Barnaby cannot afford such an expensive meal, they soon find themselves standing in front of the Harmonia Gardens, with two beautiful women on their arms and no idea how they will pay the bill. When Vandergelder shows up at the same restaurant, mayhem erupts, and by the time the confusion is over, everything may just have worked itself out—even if it isn't the way one might have expected when the evening began! This year’s musical features several popular songs, including “Before the Parade Passes By,” “It Only Takes a Moment,” and, of course, “Hello, Dolly!” The Orange City production stars Donna Muilenburg as Dolly and Tom Hydeen as Horace Vandergelder. Others in the cast include John Hubers as Cornelius; Brandon Miller as Barnaby; Shauna Muilenburg as Ermengarde; Todd Vande Griend as Ambrose Kemper; Kathy Brogan as Irene Malloy; Rachel Kramer as Minnie Fay; and Lois Estell as Ernestina Simple. Other cast members are Bill Van Marel, Dan Landegent, Katie Buntsma, David Janssen, Jeremy Smit, Ben Kamp, Bryce Vander Stelt, Alex Verdoorn, Brian Prunty, Kent Anderson, Doug Julius, Amy Anderson, Peggy Baker, Debra Boersma, Erin Brogan, Beth Davis, Laura Elder, Julie Junck, Libby Karssen, Becky Kooiker, Nancy Landegent, Melissa List, Stephanie McCombs, Anne Mead, Elizabeth Laurensent, Ashley Robinson, Jenny Tonsfeldt, and Susan Veltkamp. Robyn Baker will serve as assistant producer; Pam Anderson, music director; Dick Miske, choreographer; and Dan Landegent, set designer. Other committee chairpersons are Tanya Chapin, lights; Greg Haverdink, sound; Marabel Allen, costumes; Char Ten Clay, props; Val Vande Griend, makeup; Kyle Van Gorp, stage crew; Carolyn Elder and Lynne Hubers, hospitality; and Carrie Odell Anderson, publicity. Tickets for “Hello, Dolly!” are on sale now. Performances are at 8 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, May 17-20 in the Orange City Town Hall. Reserved seats are $12 and general admission (bleacher) seats are $8. Tickets may be purchased at the Windmill Visitors Center; their phone number is 707-4510. By Carrie Odell Anderson (synopsis written with the help of http://www.imagi-nation.com/moonstruck/albm69.html.) |
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Copyright © 2008 Tulip Festival Steering CommitteeVisitors Since May 6, 2008
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