Man breaks new ground playing iconic lead role in “Hello Dolly” at Boca theatre

BOCA RATON, Fla. – A Boca production of “Hello Dolly” is breaking ground with a male taking on the iconic lead role made famous by Carol Channing and Barbra Streisand.

Boca Raton’s Wick Theatre had to get special permission from composer Jerry Herman. The Sun-Sentinel (http://tinyurl.com/ncy7cx2) reports it will be the first production in the U.S. where the role of Dolly Levi has been played by a man. Danny La Rue took on the role in England in 1982. This time around, Lee Roy Reams is stepping into the part.

Reams starred opposite Channing twice in the Tony-award winning show.

The musical tells the story of a matchmaker who sweeps into the staid lives of a Yonkers store owner and his staff, as well as two ladies in a millinery.

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