Hale Centre Theatre in West Valley City is singing a warm hello and welcome back to one of Broadway's longest-running and most-beloved musicals.

"Hello, Dolly!" is greeting audiences now through Aug. 1 at Hale Centre Theatre, with performances running nightly Mondays through Saturdays.

"Hello, Dolly," based on Thornton Wilder's book "The Merchant of Yonkers" (later renamed "The Matchmaker"), made its debut on Broadway in 1964, starring the one and only Carol Channing. The musical won 10 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, and later hit the big screen in 1969 when Barbra Streisand assumed the star role of Dolly Gallagher Levi, a nosy but lovable widow who plays matchmaker for several lovelorn couples, including herself.

The witty storyline of "Hello, Dolly" explores the evolution of New Yorker Dolly as she falls for a wealthy, but cranky widower and businessman, Horace Vandergelder, and decides it's time to shake off her widow's weeds and remarry.

Through her matchmaking schemes, Dolly manages to win Horace's affections while successfully pairing up a few other couples in the show, including hat maker and fellow widow, Irene Molloy.

" 'Hello, Dolly' is kind of a female show," said Jenni Hohl, who plays Dolly in HCT's production. "It's about women. Dolly is a widow and Mrs. Molloy is a widow, and both of them in their own way are saying, 'I want to live again. I've got to move on before my whole life passes.' It's a theme that runs through the whole show, 'I'm going to seize the day.' "

And those themes, said director David Tinney, are what makes the 45-year-old musical still appeal to audiences today.

"I believe 'Hello, Dolly' owes its longevity to the timelessness of the story," Tinney said. "Even though it's set in the late 19th century, the themes are universal and timeless: falling in love, finding love after loss and living life to the fullest 'before the parade passes by.' "

"Hello, Dolly" jazzes through a host of familiar songs that help tell the story and that audiences will be singing along to, including, "It Takes a Woman," "Before the Parade Passes By," "It Only Takes a Moment," and the hit title song, "Hello, Dolly!"

"The songs, once you get them in your head, you're just crazy with them," Hohl said. "And the show is written very well; it has great writing and great lines. I think that's why people love this show. It's just right."

And Tinney said Hale's production of "Hello, Dolly" is a must-see if you've never seen the musical or even have it memorized.

"The Hale's production is fresh," Tinney said. "The costumes and sets are bright and summery, the music is crisp and masterfully performed and the show feels brand new. If you've never seen 'Hello, Dolly', this is the way to see it. If you know it, love it, or think you've seen it too many times, this is the show you need to see."

IF YOU GO:

'Hello, Dolly!'

Where: Hale Centre Theatre; 3333 S. Decker Lake Drive, West Valley City

When: Through Aug. 1: Monday- Saturday at 7:30 p.m., Saturday matinees at 12:30 p.m. and 4 p.m.

Tickets: Monday through Thursday evenings and matinees, adults $22 and children $15; Friday and Saturday evening shows, adults $26 and children $16

Info: (801) 984-9000, www.halecentretheatre.org