Bette Midler ‘knocks em dead’ in new role

‘We knocked ‘em dead!’

They are the words of Bette Midler after taking to the stage in a revival of the musical Hello Dolly.

The 71-year-old star took to Twitter to thank everyone associated with the production and offer wishes for a fantastic run, after it opened on Broadway last Thursday night.

Hello Dolly is a 1964 musical that initially starred Carol Channing, and has been revived four times on Broadway as well as three times in West End.

Reviews about the production are all about Bette.

The New York Times says pretty much everything Bette does in the role stops the show. Their reviewer writes: Without stripping gears, she makes fast switches from explosive comedy to a sober emotionalism that never cloys.. .And her final scenes with Mr. Pierce, who delivers a beautifully drawn caricature (and is rewarded with a solo that was cut from the original), may leave you with tears in your eyes without your quite understanding why.

The Guardian describes Bette as irresistible in the role. “Although they said her voice sounded brassy at times the audience loved the spirit of the show and applauded her entrance, exit and several times in between,” their reviewer wrote.

Variety said with her great pipes and sly-puss wit, Bette Midler might have played Dolly at any stage of her career. “But at the end of the day, she instinctively understands the avid thirst for life that prompts Dolly’s comic desperation and gives depth to her character. (At one preview performance, she actually choked up when she started to sing “Before the Parade Passes By.”) As for connecting with an audience, the Divine Miss M knows every shtick in the book.”