June 24, 2025: Theatre Yesterday and Today, by Ron Fassler.

Last night at Carnegie Hall, those in attendance for an all-star performance of Jerry Herman’s score to Hello, Dolly!, were treated to an Act One closer no one present is ever likely to forget. When cabaret superstar Marilyn Maye took to the stage and quietly intoned Dolly Gallagher Levi’s speech to her dead husband Ephram, it was as if time stopped. The monologue, equal parts Michael Stewart, author of the show’s book and Thornton Wilder, who wrote its source material, The Matchmaker, perfectly served up Ms. May to then quietly and effortlessly segue way into “Before the Parade Passes By,” building it in ways I’ve never seen done before (and I’ve seen it done many times). That she is ninety-seven years old is entirely beside the point. The fact is she acted the hell out of it and sang it with an energy and vitality that demanded the standing ovation it got. It was extraordinary when, if as one, 3,000 leaped to their feet wildly cheering. Unforgettable. Read MORE