To the Editor:

Dolly is back in town.

We are excited to see Dolly Levi back where she belongs — on the stage at the Lydia C. Tobler Performing Arts Center at Voorheesville Middle/High School at 432 New Salem Road in Voorheesville.

The show was last performed here in 2011; the current Voorheesville Dionysians’ production of the musical, “Hello Dolly!,” will be performed on Friday, March 21, and Saturday, March 22, at 7 p.m. with a matinée on Sunday, March 23, at 2 p.m.. The cost for admission is $18 for adults, $12 for children and students, and seniors free. Tickets may be purchased at the door.

Auditions and casting for “Hello Dolly!” started early in anticipation of the arrival of Director Desirée Chappelle Streeter’s baby girl in late December. With the return of students in January, daily rehearsals began under the direction of Jaynie Parmenter, who at the same time was making plans for her own upcoming production of the fifth-grade play, “The Frog Prince,” in May.

Working with musical director Jake Purington; choreographer Ben Dunlavey; and producer,Steve Suriano, the foursome was able to keep production moving forward, with the help of an incredibly talented cast and some helpful advice from the baby front.

Returning from maternity leave in early February, Desirée resumed director duties and rehearsals intensified as time grew short. You may be wondering how someone with a brand-new baby can manage the demands of directing for the long hours of rehearsals every day, including Saturdays.

Well, it helps to have a loving husband/doting father — and your mother willing and eager to travel all the way from Texas to take over household duties and help with child care. Thank you, Texas grandmother, Gigi Chappelle.

I work on the costume committee. Costuming for “Hello Dolly!” required a number of 1890-look costumes. We put out a request to the Theater Costume Exchange/Loan/Sell for the Capital District Facebook group for 1890-era clothing and got a response from costumer Connie Rauhauser, from Scotia, who previously dressed two productions of “Hello Dolly!”

An expert seamstress, her costumes are magnificent and she was willing to offer them to us on loan. Her only request was to clean them before return. We also were able to borrow costumes from the Fort Salem Theater in Salem, New York.

You will see many of those borrowed costumes on stage. While we did not use all the beautiful dresses, for a variety of reasons, they served as reference and inspiration for creating our own costumes. We are extremely grateful for the loan of these costumes.

Large, showy hats were also popular during the 1890s. We were able to borrow a few great hats, but most of them were homemade, including the iconic red feather headdress worn by Isla Platek, as Dolly, during the signature song “Hello Dolly!”

Saturday, March 15, was the first time the orchestra was at rehearsal. It is amazing how much richness a live orchestra adds to the performance.

“Hello Dolly!” is the story of a widowed socialite, currently earning a living doing what she calls “meddling,” working as a matchmaker and a variety of sidelines, including mandolin lessons and short-distance hauling.

This family show offers something for everyone! It has music, dance, romance, slapstick comedy the kids will love, great scenery, and the fashion show alone is worth the visit.

Join us for some great entertainment and a chance to support these talented young performers. “Don’t let the parade pass you by!”

Sharon Breisch

New Scotland