Imelda Staunton confirms she’ll star in West End ”Hello, Dolly!” in 2024

Hello Imelda!

Despite being disrupted by Covid, Imelda Staunton has assured the public she’s set to appear in Hello, Dolly! in the West End.

Speaking to Deadline, she confirmed that she will take on the role of Dolly Levi after filming concludes on the final season The Crown (Staunton will play the Queen during the later portion of her life). This is all set to be 2024, with a venue locked in place though currently unconfirmed.

Jerry Herman (La Cage aux Folles) and Michael Stewart (42nd Street)’s musical is based on Thornton Wilder’s The Matchmaker, and first debuted on Broadway over 50 years ago. It follows the socialite Dolly Levi who tries to find love for herself and everyone she knows, and includes numbers such as “Put On Your Sunday Clothes”, “Ribbons Down My Back”, “Before the Parade Passes By”, “Elegance”, “It Only Takes a Moment” and “Hello, Dolly!”.

Director Dominic Cooke and Staunton will reunite following their production of Follies at the National Theatre in 2017. Further casting is to be confirmed.

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