Theatre By The Sea is doing a bang up job with "Hello, Dolly!," it's second offering of the summer. It's just that this classic Jerry Herman musical seems terribly dated. For sure, it's full of silliness.

Thankfully, though, there are standout performances from the likes of Tony winner Cady Huffman as Dolly. She's a real presence, with one of those big brassy Broadway voices that sounded terrific in "Before the Parade Passes By," the big production number at the end of Act I., where widowed Dolly Levi sings about tasting life again.

Another plus are Lou Bird's striking 1890's costumes.

But it's a little hard to sit through some of the hokier moments in this production, the goings-on are so corny.

Based on Thornton Wilder's play "The Matchmaker," "Hello, Dolly!" follows the escapades of matchmaker Dolly Gallagher Levi, who has her sights set on wealthy feed store owner Horace Vandergelder. She, of course, pretends to be finding a match for him, all the while secretly sabotaging any potential liaisons.

But there is the silly subplot involving Vandergelder's two clerks, who head off to New York and vow not to return until they have kissed a woman for the first time. Head clerk Cornelius Hackl is in his 30s. There is an amusing moment when they bump into Horace in the city and hide out in the hat shop of Irene Molloy, who Horace thinks he will marry.
As Horace comes into the shop, the clerks hide out in the closet and under the table, making for some predictable slap-stick moments.

And the other big gag in the show is the mix up in wallets, where fat cat Horace ends up with little more than a dollar to his name, and Cornelius and sidekick Barnaby find they have a pocket full of cash, and set out to wine and dine their dates, Mrs. Molloy and her assistant, pudgy Minnie.

There are no surprises in this musical. It's pretty much apparent from the beginning what the outcome will be. But along the way there are some nice dance numbers, and plenty of songs, including the title song "Hello, Dolly," which Huffman eased into so smoothly.
Really, without Huffman, who won a Tony for her portrayal of sexy secretary Ulla in "The Producers," the show would not have been nearly so successful. Although both Rebecca Barko, as Mrs. Malloy, and Jason Ostrowski's Cornelius, sang beautifully.

The other strong performance came from Al Bundonis as crusty Horace, who swears he will never marry Dolly. Bundonis starred in last year's "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" at Theatre By The Sea.

Music director Bob Bray led a perfectly fine pit orchestra, and the snappy choreography was the work of director Kevin P. Hill, who kept things upbeat despite the old-hat feel of Michael Stewart's book.

"Hello, Dolly!" runs though July 11 at Theatre By The Sea, 364 Card's Pond Rd., Matunuck. Tickets are $39-$49. Call (401) 782-8587.