It was a farewell, but the theater was filled with "hellos." In the rear of the orchestra, watching the final curtain ring down on Hello, Dolly! was the original Dolly, Carol Charming, who opened the show on Jan. 16, 1964. Hello, Dolly! went on to become Broadway's longest-running musical, with 2,844 performances (My Fair Lady is second with 2,717). Channing was followed in Dolly's role by Ginger Rogers, Martha Raye, Betty Grable, Pearl Bailey, Phyllis Diller and, finally, by Ethel Merman, who belted out the final hellos last week and then took the...
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