Goodman Theatre is bringing the play that inspired “Hello, Dolly!” to life with the help of a Northwestern grad. Kristine Nielsen, who plays Dolly Gallagher Levi in “The Matchmaker,” hasn’t been back to the Chicago area in more than 30 years, but says she “leapt at this chance” to work with the Goodman.
“I credit Northwestern with my whole foundation of learning about the arts,” Nielsen says. “I thought I’d love to work at that theater [Goodman] and I knew the actor quality around here is so high that it would be a great chance to work with a good company, and that’s proven true.”
While “The Matchmaker” inspired one of the world’s most beloved musicals, Nielsen warns theatergoers not to expect “Hello, Dolly!”
“I would caution them that if they are familiar with the musical, ‘Hello, Dolly!,’ that ‘Matchmaker’ is slightly different and, I think, richer as a play can be,” Nielsen says. “A musical offers so much more in a different form of entertainment and I think ‘Hello, Dolly’ is one of the great musicals. It’s just that ‘The Matchmaker’ goes down different paths at different times … It should surprise some.”
Although the play and musical may be different, Dolly is still, as the Goodman writes, “cunning, crafty and thoroughly modern.”
“She’s just so much fun,” Nielsen says of her character. “I call her an optimistic realist. She knows you can get certain things from this world but you have to have security. If that’s financial or if it’s love, it’s important to try to be realistic about it.”
Nielsen, a Tony Award nominee, adds that she’s very excited to be part of this production and loves the emotional journey it takes the audience on.
“Each night we’ve been learning something from the audience, which is our biggest partner,” Nielsen says. “I love that kind of complexity of emotions that go around when you see a great play. Believe me, we want to make people laugh, but you have to earn it, I always think. You want it to stay with people. You don’t want it to be dismissed in any way.”
When she’s not entertaining audiences, Nielsen hopes to enjoy an architecture boat tour and spend some time at the Art Institute. She also already saw a show at Lyric Opera.
“And of course eating,” Nielsen says, laughing. “It’s a fabulous city for eating. Not good for a lady in a corset, but I’ve been taking advantage of that too.”
“The Matchmaker” runs at Goodman Theatre through April 10. For tickets and more information, visit Goodman’s website.
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