‘Hello Dolly’: Betty Buckley talks dogs, dance shoes and the perils of following Bette Midler

When the national tour of Jerry Zaks’ hit Broadway revival of “Hello, Dolly!” arrives in Chicago next week, Betty Buckley will play

Betty Buckley stars as Dolly Gallagher Levi in the the national tour of Jerry Zaks’ Broadway revival of “Hello, Dolly!” (Julieta Cervantes photo)

the starring role of Dolly Gallagher Levi, the matchmaker with the most-est. Chicago is the tour’s third engagement; Buckley talked about her assignment from Cleveland, where she has been working out the kinks. The following is an edited version of our interview.