Hello, Patti? LuPone Rumored for Broadway Revival of Hello, Dolly!

Will Patti LuPone’s next Broadway outing be the title role in Jerry Herman’s beloved musical Hello, Dolly!? The New York Times reports that Nederlander Productions is developing a revival of the show built around LuPone as Yonkers’ most famous matchmaker, Dolly Levi, a role made famous by Carol Channing. A spokesman for the Nederlanders and LuPone declined to comment on the Times report.

LuPone, who is currently playing the scene-stealing role of wronged wife Lucia in Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, has headlined high-profile musical revivals of Sweeney Todd (in a Tony-nominated performance as Mrs. Lovett) and Gypsy (winning her second Tony as Momma Rose) in recent seasons. She is also the author of the best-selling Patti LuPone: A Memoir.

Hello, Dolly!, which features a score by recent Kennedy Center honoree Jerry Herman and a book by Michael Stewart, originally opened on Broadway in January 1964, winning 10 Tony Awards, including Best Musical and Channing’s award for Best Actress. Barbra Streisand starred in the 1969 film version, and Channing returned to Broadway in 1978 and 1995 revivals.

Now, if only LuPone’s Evita co-star Mandy Patinkin would sign on as Horace Vandergelder!