Dolly Levi brings her matchmaking skills to East Brainerd

That indomitable female Dolly Levi brings her matchmaking talent to town this weekend when East Brainerd Community Theater presents "Hello, Dolly!" at Christ United Methodist Church, 8645 East Brainerd Road.

Four shows are scheduled today, July 20, through Sunday, July 23.

Kendra Gross is cast in the title role, with Wes Phinney playing opposite her as Horace Vandergelder. The pair heads a cast of 41 local actors.

Levi is a socialite-turned-matchmaker traveling to Yonkers, N.Y., to find a wife for cantankerous Vandergelder. She believes she's his future spouse - now she just has to convince him.

Kendra Gross plays Dolly Levi in East Brainerd Community Theater's production of "Hello, Dolly!"

Her scheming soon involves Vandergelder's employees, his niece, a hatmaker and the hatmaker's assistant as she weaves her matchmaking magic.

Her manipulations are enhanced by the music of Jerry Herman, who composed such hits as "Call on Dolly," "Put On Your Sunday Clothes," "Ribbons Down my Back," "Hello, Dolly" and "Before the Parade Passes By."

The latter is Gross' favorite of in her role as Dolly.

"'Before the Parade Passes By' says so much. She's saying it's time to live life, stop letting it pass by. She starts to see what she is missing and what she needs to bring color back into her life," says Gross.

The actress says she was introduced to this musical through the 1969 film that starred Barbra Streisand.

"I've had the incredible honor to play some amazing roles in my life; with Dolly, I've reached a different point in my performance career. A role like Dolly Levi is incredibly complex. Without those years of experience I wouldn't be ready to play Dolly. She's not the ingenue, she's an adult; as an actress, I'm enjoying transitioning to playing the adult," she says.

Dolly is an independent spirit, who speaks her mind with a straightforward edge sometimes masked in humor. Gross says the most challenging aspect of her role is to keep Dolly from sounding jaded.

"A woman on her own in 1890 would have had a very challenging life there were still so many limitations for women. When she was widowed she wasn't left with a way to make a living. Dolly has only her wits. Keeping her light-hearted, yet still genuine, can be challenging," she explains.

"I don't want her to become a caricature. She only has a few moments where she drops her guard and shows how tender she really is. That's where you see Dolly's heart."

The East Brainerd Community Theater production of "Hello, Dolly!" is directed by Stephanie Pearson with musical direction by Gary Bynum. Costuming is by Brenda Schwab and Kim Davis, choreography by David Wood.

At each performance, audience members may vote for their favorite cast member by making a donation. These donations will be given nonprofit The Next Door, which prepares women for independent living free from drug and alcohol abuse.

Contact staff writer Susan Pierce at spierce@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6284.