Every so often, a date jumps out at me from my research and says, “Tell this story today.”
April 10 is one of those days.
Did you know that on April 10, 1964 — just three months after it opened — Hello, Dolly! broke the record for the highest weekly gross in Broadway history at the time? Over $100,000 in ticket sales. In 1964. That’s how quickly Dolly Levi marched her way into the hearts of theatregoers and Broadway history.
The momentum was unstoppable. The gowns. The wit. The choreography. But above all — the spirit. Carol Channing didn’t just play Dolly — she embodied joy. And that joy created a ripple effect that still touches audiences (and me!) to this day.
I’ve spent over 25 years celebrating Hello, Dolly! through interviews, performances, and loving research. My project CallonDolly.com has archived over 1,000 firsthand accounts from the cast and creatives who’ve kept Dolly’s parasol twirling across stages around the world.
And now, I get to share that celebration live again.
🗓 On August 5, I’ll be bringing Richard Skipper Celebrates Hello, Dolly! to The Art House in Provincetown.
It’s an evening of song, stories, history, and audience interaction — all in honor of one of Broadway’s brightest lights and the show that changed my life.
If you love theatre, legacy, and joy — this one’s for you.
And if you’re curious about what made Hello, Dolly! such a sensation in 1964 (and every year since), come see for yourself.
🎟 Tickets coming soon — stay tuned at RichardSkipper.com for details.
With love and light (and a tip of the hat to Jerry Herman),
Richard
Charles Nelson Reilly was born: Read more about Charles 
Carole Cook was born: Read more about Carole January 15th
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January 31st
February 4th
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April 3
Lorna Dallas
April 4
April 10
Marilyn Maye
April 12
Ann Miller
April 15
Shooting Begins on Hello, Dolly! 1968
April 30th
Eve Arden Birthday
June 2nd, 2018
1964 - The original cast album of "Hello Dolly!" went gold -- having sold a million copies. It was quite a feat for a Broadway musical. Two years ago today, this article ran!
The Dallas Morning News of May 31st, 1965 chronicled the Mary Martin international tour, which had begun in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and continued to Kansas City, Missouri, New Orleans, Louisiana, and Dallas, Texas with Carleton Carpenter as Cornelius Hackl and Loring Smith as Horace Vandergelder. The article went on to say that the next stop would be Memphis, Tennessee where the production was already sold out! Read MORE
Broadway's 2nd Horace, June 13th, 1964
A month before the original cast album of Hello, Dolly! ended the Beatles’ two-album, 16-week run on top of the album chart, Louis Armstrong’s interpretation of “Hello, Dolly!” broke the Fab Four’s 14-week run at the top on the Hot 100 single chart. For Armstrong it was a long-overdue triumph that made it possible to record what would be his first charting album in nearly a decade.
September 30th
Jerry Zaks (born September 7, 1946) is an American stage and television director, and actor. He won the Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play and Drama Desk Award for directing The House of Blue Leaves, Lend Me a Tenor, and Six Degrees of Separation and the Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical and Drama Desk Award for Guys and Dolls.“I don’t like the word revivals. It suggests resuscitating something that’s near death or something,” said Tony-winning director Jerry Zaks. “What I try to do is pretend that it was written yesterday and given to me today.” Read MORE
October 4th
October 5th
November 18th
On this date: November 18th, 1963: Hello, Dolly! has it's FIRST PERFORMANCE at The Fisher Theatre in Detroit Michigan on it's bumpy way to Broadway. This was the FIRST program: 
December 5th
On this date: December 5th, 1955 Ruth Gordon stars in Thornton Wilder's comedy The Matchmaker at the Royale Theatre. Produced by The Theatre Guild and David Merrick, it runs 486 performances. In 1964, Merrick has an even bigger success when he produces a musical adaptation of the play on Broadway, called Hello, Dolly!