Opening night of “Hello, Dolly!” at Southern Door High School next month will take on special meaning thanks to some familiar faces.
Before Kaitlyn Kluge, Jesse Thorson and Jude Alrand take on the roles of Dolly, Horace and Cornelius, the Southern Door School District will honor the cast that first brought “Hello, Dolly!” to the stage in 1971 with a special pre-show reception Nov. 12.
Fifty-five years ago, former Southern Door School District Superintendent Patti Vickman brought the title character to life with songs such as “Put On Your Sunday Clothes” and “Before the Parade Passes By.” Back then, they did not have the Southern Door Auditorium or costume designers like Kelly Tassoul and Kim Welch. They performed in the old high school gym with a couple of microphones dangling from the ceiling. Outside of a couple of dresses they rented, Vickman remembers her mom making her costumes. Looking back, she says it was one of the great experiences she had in high school.
The idea of bringing back the original cast was born at a graduation party when Vickman ran into director Madeline Wilkins and learned that "Hello, Dolly!" was this year's musical. Vickman's advice to the 2026 cast is to dive into their characters and have fun with it.
The pre-show reception will take place from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Nov. 12 in the high school library before the opening night performance. The production runs through Nov. 15.
