Entertainment

Kristin Chenoweth in talks for ‘Hello, Dolly!’ on Broadway

Kristin Chenoweth

Kristin Chenoweth (AXELLE/EROTEME.CO.UK)

Kristin Chenoweth (right) may be reprising a Broadway role that Carol Channing made famous in “Hello, Dolly!” (Getty Images; AXELLE/EROTEME.CO.UK)

Hello, Kristin!

Kristin Chenoweth has said she’d love to play Dolly Levi in “Hello, Dolly!” in about 10 years.

But her wish may come true a lot sooner.

I hear she’s in discussions to star in a multimillion-dollar Broadway revival within the next two years.

This would be the first time “Dolly” has been revived since Carol Channing, who starred in the original 1964 production, brought her farewell tour to the Lunt-Fontanne in 1996.

I happened to catch that one, and it was fun to see old Carol still “going strong” after all those years, though I noticed she was a little rickety coming down the grand staircase during the title number and had to be propped up by the singing waiters.

Don’t fall, Dolly! Watch your step, Dolly!

At first blush, you might think Kristin’s a little young for Dolly Levi, the matchmaker from Yonkers. In fact, the script says the character can be anywhere from 35 to 50, and though Kristin’s real age is a closely guarded secret, she certainly falls somewhere in that range. (Wikipedia has her at 45.)

Channing was in her mid-40s when she played the part. That made her too old for Hollywood, which gave the role to a 20-something Barbra Streisand in the lackluster ’69 film.

The Nederlanders have had the rights to “Dolly” for years, and periodically have cast about for a leading lady. There once was talk of Queen Latifah, reminiscent perhaps of the great Pearl Bailey, who was the first and only black Dolly on Broadway.

Bette Midler was a contender as well, but she’s made it clear that, after her run in “I’ll Eat You Last,” she isn’t interested in carrying a multimillion-dollar musical on her back for eight performances a week.

The new production of “Dolly” will be directed and choreographed by Warren Carlyle, who did “Chaplin” and “Finian’s Rainbow.”

Chenoweth has another show in her future — a revival of Cy Coleman’s 1978 operetta “On the Twentieth Century,” which she hopes to do with Peter Gallagher.

She’d play Lily Garland, the temperamental movie star (Madeline Kahn in the original). It’s a perfect role for her, and she generated good buzz when she appeared in a reading at the Roundabout a couple of years ago.

There’s also another Dolly in Chenoweth’s life — Dolly Parton. Chenoweth’s long wanted to do an autobiographical musical about Parton, who’s given the project her blessing.

That one is years off, however.

In the meantime, Kristin, it’ll be nice to have you back where you belong — Broadway!

I get some unusual e-mails from time to time, but this one takes the prize.

A reader writes: “I noticed your columns on Liberace and thought you might be interested in something I have. Of course, the items are not free and might turn you off. I have two rolls of undeveloped Liberace autopsy films, still in their original containers.

“After the pictures were taken of the autopsy, the film was put in a safe at Riverside County [California] Coroner’s Office. Because of media hype surrounding Liberace’s death, a lot of people wanted to get their hands on the film. My dad, a coroner investigator at the time, removed the film from the safe. He passed in July, and I have it my possession now. Can send pics of containers, if you want.”

He did indeed send pictures of the containers and they look real to me.

Of course, I’ll have to take this up with my editors.

But I can’t say I’m not curious.