Hello Dolly‘s writer, Jerry Herman, On Bette Midler: “Many times through the years I’ve been asked about bringing back Hello, Dolly! ”“ and it has always been, ”˜Who would be my dream Dolly?’ ”“ and though I’ve had literally dozens of names tossed at me, I knew that we needed more than just a wonderful singer or a wonderful actor, so I held on to the hope that she would also be a distinctly original persona. Who is out there that has the necessary stature, warmth, the incredible talent and ability, and especially the singular, outsized personality that I was looking for in a 21st Century Dolly? Only one person: Bette Midler. Only Bette could bring Dolly brilliantly back to ”˜the lights of 14th Street!’” (2016)
