Donna Murphy Cast in Broadway ‘Hello, Dolly!’ as Bette Midler’s Alternate
Donna Murphy has signed on to perform the lead role in the upcoming Broadway revival of “Hello, Dolly!” at Tuesday performances beginning in June, alternating with headliner Bette Midler.
Murphy, a well-known favorite among Broadway fans who’s won Tonys for her performances in “Passion” and “The King and I,” also will star in “Dolly!” during Midler’s vacations from the production, which begins performances in March. The actress won a Daytime Emmy for her work in HBO series “Life Stories: Families in Crisis,” and on the bigscreen she’s appeared in “The Bourne Legacy,” “The Nanny Diaries” and “Tangled.”
Murphy will play the title role of the matchmaker hired to find a mate for a rich, cranky older man played by David Hyde Pierce. She joins a cast that also includes Gavin Creel and Kate Baldwin, among others, in a production directed by Jerry Zaks and choreographed by Warren Carlyle (with nods to the original work of Gower Champion).
The show has already proven popular with theatergoers, racking up stellar advance sales in its early days at the box office. Produced by Scott Rudin, “Hello, Dolly!” begins previews March 15 ahead of an April 20 opening at the Shubert Theater. Murphy will play her first performance in “Dolly!” on June 13.
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