Editing Hello, Dolly! (musical) (section)

==History==
The plot of ''Hello, Dolly!'' originated in the 1835 English play ''A Day Well Spent'' by [[John Oxenford]], which [[Johann Nestroy]] adapted into the farce ''[[Einen Jux will er sich machen]]'' (''He Will Go on a Spree'' or ''He'll Have Himself a Good Time'') in 1842. [[Thornton Wilder]] adapted Nestroy's play into his 1938 farcical play ''[[The Merchant of Yonkers]]''. That play was a flop, so he revised it and retitled it as ''[[The Matchmaker]]'' in 1954, expanding the role of Dolly (played by [[Ruth Gordon]]).<ref name=London2008>[http://www.indielondon.co.uk/Theatre-Review/hello-dolly-new-wimbledon-theatre-review "Hello Dolly! – New Wimbledon Theatre"] IndieLondon, March 2008</ref>

The role of Dolly Gallagher Levi was originally written for [[Ethel Merman]] but she turned it down, as did [[Mary Martin]]—although both eventually played it.<ref name=London2008/> Merrick then auditioned [[Nancy Walker]], but he hired [[Carol Channing]], who then went on to originate the role of Dolly.<ref name=Musicals101>Kenrick, John. [http://www.musicals101.com/1960bway.htm " 'Hello, Dolly!' article"] Musicals101.com</ref> Director [[Gower Champion]] was not the producer's first choice, but [[Hal Prince]] and others turned it down, among them [[Jerome Robbins]] and [[Joe Layton]].<ref>Gilvey, John Anthony. ''Before the Parade Passes by: Gower Champion and the Glorious American Musical'' (2005), St. Martin's Press, {{ISBN|0-312-33776-0}}, p. 117</ref>

''Hello, Dolly!'' had rocky tryouts in [[Detroit, Michigan]], and [[Washington, D.C.]]<ref name=Musicals101/> After receiving the reviews, the creators made major changes to the script and score, including the addition of the song "Before the Parade Passes By".<ref>Gilvey (2005) p. 149</ref> Initially called ''Dolly, A Damned Exasperating Woman'',<ref>Bloom & Vlastnik (2004) p. 152.</ref> then ''Call on Dolly'', Merrick revised the show's title after hearing [[Louis Armstrong]]'s version of "Hello, Dolly". The show became one of the most iconic Broadway shows of the latter half of the 1960s, and running for 2,844 performances, was the longest-running musical in Broadway history for a time.<ref>Kantor & Maslon (2004) p. 302</ref>