Matchmaker Dolly Gallagher Levi is on the scene doing what she does best — meddling in everyone’s business. Hired to arrange a marriage for the miserly half-millionaire Horace Vandergelder, she finds him the perfect mate — herself! Her task is to win his heart before he becomes hitched to somebody else.
Is this the tabloids, real life, or what? It’s the musical comedy, “Hello, Dolly!” with Pam Jorgensen in the title role and Jeb Barkenbush of West Windsor as Vandergelder, opening at Kelsey Theater on Friday, April 8. A reception with the cast and crew follows the opening performance.
The musical is filled with well-loved tunes including the title song, “Hello Dolly,” “Put on Your Sunday Clothes,” and “It Only Takes a Moment.”
Also appearing in the production are Jessica Corriveau of Plainsboro as Irene Malloy, and Alissa Julius of West Windsor, Mollie Rubinstein of West Windsor, and Benjamin Sills of Plainsboro as ensemble members.
Based on a 1938 farcical play by Thornton Wilder, “Hello, Dolly!” was first produced on Broadway by David Merrick in 1964, winning the Tony Award for Best Musical, along with nine other Tonys. A 1969 film adaptation starring Barbra Streisand and Walter Matthau was nominated for seven Academy Awards.
“Horace Vandergelder is a part that I’ve always loved,” says Barkenbush. “He is a cantankerous fellow and, like many of us, hardened by the day-to-day world of business but deep down he’s a good person.”
Barkenbush works for J.P. Morgan on the trading floor of the Intercontinental Exchange trading sugar and other tropical commodities. “My job is very vocal so we’re sort of on stage all day, but it’s refreshing to step into a completely different world for a while to do something really creative.”
Barkenbush, who played guitar and was in bands during his college days, still plays. He also takes yoga classes through West Windsor Recreation.
The family moved to West Windsor in 2003. His wife, Rose, left her job as a creative director at a software company in New York to be a stay-at-home-mom after their second daughter was born. She has returned to work part time as a substitute teacher in the WW-P school district and is a Girl Scout leader.
Their daughter Mia, 11, studies the concert harp, plays the viola in her school orchestra, and takes dance classes at Princeton Dance and Theater.
“I have always been fascinated with film and theater ,but it was only recently that I took the leap,” says Barkenbush. “I have always loved ‘Fiddler on the Roof,” and my daughter Mia suggested we audition for the show last spring, and I jumped at the chance.” Father and daughter performed together in Playful’s production of “Fiddler on the Roof” last spring.
Their daughter Cara, 8, performed in McCarter Theater’s “A Christmas Carol” in December in the role of the Beggar Girl. She is enrolled in acting classes at Kelsey Theater.
He says his role in “Hello, Dolly” is “a really big jump, but I feel like it’s coming pretty naturally, and I’m having a lot of fun,” Barkenbush says. “I am also working with some very talented and experienced people, which has been a huge plus.”
— Lynn Miller
Hello, Dolly, Kelsey Theater, Mercer County Community College, 1200 Old Trenton Road, West Windsor. Friday, April 8, 7:30 p.m. Weekends through Sunday, April 17. $16; $14 for seniors; $12 for students and children. 609-570-3333. www.kelseytheatre.net.
