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"The world is full of wonderful things" is a sentiment shared throughout Michael Stewart's book for the musical Hello, Dolly! 

It is a statement that can be hard to hang on to while you read or watch the news and go through your daily life. But while the world can be a scary and complicated place, it can also be a beautiful and loving place, too. This musical, based on Thornton Wilder's The Matchmaker and turned into a buoyant musical comedy by Michael Stewart, Jerry Herman, and Gower Champion, has been reminding audiences of that fact for 60 years. 

Yes, the musical you are about to see turned 60 this year, having premiered originally on Broadway in January 1964. It also is celebrating an anniversary at East Pennsboro this year as the High School itself produced Dolly 40 years later in 2004. And here we are again, with just as much excitement, telling the story in 2024!

The story of matchmaker Dolly Gallagher-Levi is not only one of romantic love but also a love of life. All of the characters in this show are in search of life, adventure, excitement, and love - many of them at the same time. And while the methods of achieving those goals can be outlandish and farcical, the yearning drive to get them is quite universal. In fact, the show has been led over the years by a diverse group of leading ladies, including (but not limited to) Carol Channing, Ethel Merman, Mary Martin (who toured the show for the USO in Vietnam), an all-Black cast starring Pearl Bailey, Lee Roy Reams (yes, as Dolly), and most recently a hit Broadway Revival and Tour that, in turn, starred Donna Murphy, Bernadette Peters, and the Divine Miss M herself Bette Midler!

Each cast and each Dolly brings something of themselves to the show, and THAT is what we hoped to capture with this particular production. What you are about to see is a culmination of the work of over 70 high school students and staff members representing different races and ethnicities, experiences, and ability levels, but all with the same love of music and theatre. That work, combined with the support and love of our community, school, and families is what puts Hello, Dolly! on the stage for us today.

And THAT, dear audience, is how we know that "the world is full of wonderful things."

Enjoy the laughter, the music, and the love . . . and take it back into the world with you.

Mr. Eric S. Mansilla, Director of Hello, Dolly!