Vallejoan has `mountain' of talent
Dyan McBride leads cast of Broadway classic `Hello, Dolly!'
For more than a century, the sounds of the stage have drifted through the trees and echoed across the valleys on Mount Tamalpais each summer as the Mountain Play Association keeps alive a tradition first established in 1913.
In the beginning, patrons would hike in or take the storied gravity train to see performances of the traditional plays. The shows eventually turned to Broadwaystyle musicals, and the dazzling 3,750-stone seat amphitheater was constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s.
This year's offering is the beloved classic “Hello, Dolly!” the romantic and comic story of Dolly Gallagher Levi, starring Vallejo resident Dyan McBride as the title character.
“We've been waiting a long time to do this show,” said McBride. “We have this amazing cast of dancers, singers and actors, and a full 20-piece orchestra. Dolly is a show ultimately about
rebirth and reinvention. I think it's going to be really special.”
In addition to being a prolific actor, McBride is also a singer, director and teacher. Even with so many other experiences in her career so far, she said being able to perform in such a unique setting is something different.
“It is special — there are moments that you feel incredibly connected to the earth and the sky,” said McBride. “And it does something to you that makes you feel pretty free. To actually be able to look up at the sky and see the clouds, it's pretty magic.
“You feel like a rock star, because you have anywhere from like 2,000 to 4,000 people watching you, and you can see everyone and people are super into it.”
Among the many other wonderous aspects to having such an open and natural setting for the venue is the fact that the local wildlife can come out and mingle, as McBride described happening recently.
“We were in the middle of rehearsal on Sunday and a deer was just hanging out next to us,” said McBride. “The other day a ladybug came and sat on my shoulder, which felt pretty magic.
“We had some butterflies fly though later. That's the stuff that's really cool. You just cannot beat it.”
After a two-year COVID hiatus, McBride and her fellow cast members are looking forward to sharing their hard work with a live audience and honoring the legacy of the Mountain Play Association.
“On a clear day, if you're sitting up about halfway up in the audience you get this perfect view of San Francisco,” said McBride. “It's really amazing that it's lasted this long, and that families have come for so many years. It's really unlike any other thing.”