AMERICAN FORK — The Timpanogos Arts Foundation in American Fork has a revitalized mission as of 2026 and is opening the year with the classic show Hello, Dolly, with a book by Michael Stewart and music and lyrics by Jerry Herman. This show first made its way to the stage in 1964. The Timp Arts production, directed by Andrew Jefferies, pays homage to the joy of the golden age of musicals in many ways. In his director’s note, Jefferies points out how many of the characters are arriving at a crossroads, and I love seeing a director’s vision come to life.
The technical elements of this production were truly high caliber. The costume design by Kaely Hope seemed professional in nature, not simply a community arts council. Of particular note was the hats, of which I am always a particular fan. In this show, because the character Irene Molloy, played by Kennedy Bird, is a millineress and therefore needs to have beautiful hats. Not only did Bird sing the song “Ribbons Down My Back” with beauty and precision, she had the hat and costume to match the tune. Other costume standouts were the beautiful dress that Dolly, played by Kaily Simmons, wears in the iconic title number, and all of the costumes in the number “Sunday Clothes”, which again matched the theme of the tune quite nicely. This song brought in the element of choreography, by Stephanie Cole, in great fashion. It is a song that is quite well known, and the entire ensemble covered it well with Cole’s moves and strong vocals commanded by music director Serene Parker. I actually would add here another technical element of props design by Cindy Andersen because there were a few key moments of parasol usage that were quite clever indeed.
Ben Dunford-Cable as Cornelius Hackl was a charming part of the show. When he begins “Sunday Clothes” with the line “Out there, there’s a world outside of Yonkers!” his voice was clear and strong, and his enthusiasm and excitement was contagious. Jake Shelley as the sidekick Barnaby was delightfully naïve and innocent. The two were paired quite well with Bird’s Molloy and Lily Sheperd as Minnie Fay. I really enjoyed the song “Elegance,” which felt like the perfect blend of nostalgia, dancing, and joy. In comparison, I do have to admit that the song “It Takes A Woman” felt like it had not aged well. The men sang it perfectly, and were all charming and fun, but the song itself seemed a little aged. I had to remind myself that the show is 62 years old, and it is ok that I do not love every song.
As for our main stars, Simmons as Dolly and Aaron Williams as Horace Vandergelder both fit the parts exactly as expected. I loved watching Simmons introduce her skills in the song “I Put My Hand in There” because it shows just how much of her character she had built up. Simmons did a great job of showing off the many different characters of Dolly. Williams played a rather stiff and stalwart Horace, which was fun to watch against Simmons. Seeing the chemistry between the two was amusing, and the comedy was very golden.
The set, designed by Kristyan Williams, was quite grand. I really enjoyed the staircases and how they used them for a few wonderful entrances. I also appreciated how seamless the scenic changes happened. It was clear that the crew of the show was working hard to make sure the production went on without a hitch. While the actual design was overall minimal, it did not appear so. The staircases were moved around and suddenly we were transported from a store to a fancy dining establishment. Williams did what good designers do best, use a few great pieces to allow the audience to be transported to another world.
The mission of the Timpanogos Arts Foundation is to connect and elevate the community by providing enriching opportunities to create, perform, and experience the arts. The cast and crew have done a great job with the creation and performance aspects with their rendition of Hello, Dolly! As audience members, taking the time to attend this production will allow the third part of the mission to also be achieved.
MORE INFO: HELLO, DOLLY! plays Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 PM, with Saturday matinees at 2pm, and some Mondays at 7:30pm through February 14th at the Valentine Theater of the Timpanogas Arts Foundation, 839 E 9th N, American Fork, 84403. Tickets are $21.72. For more information, visit https://timparts.com/