Hello, Dolly! at Olney Theatre Center

Hello, Dolly!

Olney Theatre Center
2001 Olney-Sandy Spring Rd. Olney

Dolly Gallagher Levi is a woman on the make. And what's she making? Whatever you need. A husband? A wife? Dance lessons? Pierced ears? There's never been a more indefatigable figure in American musical theatre, and perhaps that's why the role has served as a vehicle for some of our greatest stars, from Carol Channing to Barbra Streisand to Bette Middler. Now, the DMV's reigning musical superstar, Nova Y. Payton, takes on the title role of a musical that churns out laughs, songs, and over-the-top antics as fast as humanly possible...and then goes a little faster. Audiences of all ages are guaranteed a great time at this classic musical about love, second chances, and the magic of an adventure to the big city!

Thru - Jan 4, 2026

Click Here For Discounted Tickets

Fri, Nov 28: 1:00pm & 7:00pm

Sat, Nov 29: 1:00pm & 7:00pm

Sun, Nov 30: 1:00pm

Wed, Dec 3: 7:00pm

Thu, Dec 4: 7:00pm

Fri, Dec 5: 7:00pm

Sat, Dec 6: 1:00pm & 7:00pm

Sun, Dec 7: 1:00pm

Wed, Dec 10: 1:00pm & 7:00pm

Thu, Dec 11: 7:00pm

Fri, Dec 12: 7:00pm

Sat, Dec 13: 1:00pm & 7:00pm

Sun, Dec 14: 1:00pm

Wed, Dec 17: 1:00pm & 7:00pm

Thu, Dec 18: 7:00pm

Fri, Dec 19: 7:00pm

Sat, Dec 20: 1:00pm & 7:00pm

Sun, Dec 21: 1:00pm

Tue, Dec 23: 1:00pm & 7:00pm

Wed, Dec 24: 1:00pm

Fri, Dec 26: 1:00pm & 7:00pm

Sat, Dec 27: 1:00pm & 7:00pm

Sun, Dec 28: 1:00pm

Wed, Dec 31: 1:00pm

Thu, Jan 1: 7:00pm

Fri, Jan 2: 1:00pm & 7:00pm

Sat, Jan 3: 1:00pm & 7:00pm

Sun, Jan 4: 1:00pm

Show Type: Musical

www.olneytheatre.org

Olney Theatre Center Seating Charts

Hello, Dolly! Reviews

Average Rating based on 7 reviews

Highly Recommended
Recommended
Somewhat Recommended
Not Recommended

Washington Post - Recommended

"...But it proves to be a performance that builds through the night. With every return to the stage in ever more dazzling gowns, Payton's Dolly gets looser and wilder, her self-possession dissolving into a contagiously joyful self-absorption. By her third scene she snowballs into the full-on capital-C character you've been waiting for. "Rip-ple, rip-ple, rip-ple," she coos over the musculature of her client-turned-target Horace Vandergelder - a stalwart Moses Villarama as the "half-a-millionaire" hardware king of 1890s Yonkers - to the giggling delight of the audience. Only to make them weep minutes later (or was that just me?) during the emotional carpe diem of "Before the Parade Passes By," where the groundedness pays off."

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- Amy Argetsinger

DC Theater Arts - Highly Recommended

"...One of the most successful musicals in history, Hello, Dolly! has starred everyone from Carol Channing to Pearl Bailey to Bette Midler. In a new version, now playing at Olney Theatre Center, Nova Y. Payton steps into the historic role. Payton’s Dolly is a true icon — a charismatic Black woman in control of her own destiny. As a stage presence, her star power is palpable; as a vocalist, sublime. But it is the empathy behind Payton’s triumphant façade that makes her truly irresistible."

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- Sophia Howes

Talkin Broadway - Highly Recommended

"...First of all, Payton is a firecracker onstage, not to mention a fashion trendsetter thanks to costume co-designers Paris Francesca and Julie Cray Leong. She makes her entrance in a blue ensemble featuring sleek trousers beneath her overskirt, and her outfits just get more elaborate and embellished from there. She sings, she does broad comedy, she confides in the audience, and she is warm and sympathetic as she rearranges the lives of everyone around her."

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- Susan Berlin

Washington City Paper - Highly Recommended

"...Hello Dolly! is a star-vehicle concoction for Payton, that much is clear (the role has famously been played to acclaim by such luminaries as Carol Channing, Pearl Bailey, Barbra Streisand, Bette Midler, and Bernadette Peters). Payton pays her dues to those greats, but—immensely to the performer’s credit—delivers a Dolly that is wildly ambitious, charmingly aloof, and uniquely her own creation. Dazzling in the title number, “Hello, Dolly,” but even more rapturous with “So Long, Dearie,” Payton’s performance is what sets this revival apart from its more humdrum regional equivalents."

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- Melissa Lin Sturges

MD Theatre Guide - Highly Recommended

"...Olney Theatre Center is presenting a confection for the holidays with its production of “Hello, Dolly!” directed by Kevin S. McAllister. This legendary musical of the American theater is based on the 1954 play “The Matchmaker” by Thornton Wilder. With a book by Michael Stewart and music and lyrics by Jerry Herman, it debuted on Broadway in 1964, winning 10 Tony Awards, which was a record at the time. It has since produced four, award-winning revivals on Broadway, world-wide tours, and an Oscar-winning film."

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- Kate Mankowski

Morris Theatre DC - Recommended

"...Nova Payton returns to DC stages as the title character, and what a homecoming it is. Each mannerism and quippy expression are worth the price of admission alone, but that would discredit the excellence of the cast by-and-large, which are unmatched on DMV stages right now."

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- Drew Morris

BroadwayWorld - Recommended

"...This holiday season Olney Theatre Center's Hello, Dolly! gives audiences a chance to see a rarely performed classic on the Roberts Mainstage, in an entertaining production that harks back to the Golden Age of Broadway musicals."

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- Ken Kemp

Hello, Dolly! at Olney Theatre Center

Hello, Dolly!

Hello, Dolly! Reviews

Washington Post - Recommended

DC Theater Arts - Highly Recommended

Talkin Broadway - Highly Recommended

Washington City Paper - Highly Recommended

MD Theatre Guide - Highly Recommended

Morris Theatre DC - Recommended

BroadwayWorld - Recommended

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