Betty Buckley Rules in 'Hello, Dolly!'

Dolly Levi has gone away and come back (and gone away and come back) many times since she burst on a Broadway stage almost 60 years ago, but she never seems to be quite as in charge as in the hands of Betty Buckley, the current Broadway star taking on the role in the exuberant revival at the Opera House through August 25.

Hers is a no-nonsense Dolly, more like Mary Poppins, her Edwardian cousin from across the sea, than many of the singing actresses of a certain age that have taken the role over the years. But she also makes touchingly real Dolly's decision to rejoin the human race, pushing back tears as she sings the anthemic "Before the Parade Passes By." To paraphrase critic Walter Kerr, if this crazy circus has a ringmaster, it is Buckley, who not so much cracking a whip as observing the crazy proceedings with a bemused look.

Perhaps Bette Midler, who turned this revival into an occasion two years ago on Broadway winning a Tony in the process, was more in tune with the broad comedy that director Jerry Zaks brings to the production, heavily drawn from Gower Champion's fleet-footed original staging that turned this 1964 musical into the "Hamilton" of its day. Though not without her comic moments, such as when she calmly eats dinner while the entire cast watches in bated breath for her to finish (it takes some time and Buckley milks the moment); Buckley is a more reserved Dolly, giving her the gravity to center the farce around her. On her entrance, she shrewdly corners the audience, happily waving at them as if she were an old friend. In many ways, Buckley is, especially for those who remember her singing "Memory" in "Cats" before floating to the top of the Winter Garden Theatre, or have thrilled to her Norma Desmond (as well as the lucky few that marveled at the dignity she brought to "Carrie.") Why shouldn't a Broadway legend play a legendary Broadway role?

"Hello, Dolly!" is the quintessential 1960s musical – big, broad and loud, both in volume and optics. Just catch the Day-Glo pastels that strut across the stage in "Put on Your Sunday Clothes" or endure some of the over-the-top comedy played at full-tilt shtick. Its strength comes with the seamless conjunction of Michael Stewart's book, which captures the spirit of Thornton Wilder's "The Matchmaker" with its folksy wisdom about love, money and the need for the human touch; and Jerry Herman's songs that still have an irresistible period lure heard through blasting 1960s orchestrations. (The excellent musical direction is by Robert Billig with orchestrations by Larry Hochman.)

But what continues to make "Dolly" so special is Gower Champion's staging, which appears to be in perpetual motion, only slowing down for the occasional ballad or curtain speech. As theater historian Ethan Mordden has put it, "No one wants to try Dolly without Gower Champion's staging, by far the most brilliant of his career." Zaks, though, pushes the broadness of the comedy to sometimes unnerving ends. (Ermengarde, stop braying!) and these moments jar the wise comedy at its source.

Nonetheless, the comedy is expertly played throughout by the talented troupe. Lewis J. Stadlen plays Horace as if channeling great comics of the past, giving the curmudgeonly Vandergelder the spin of a great vaudevillian, most notably his second-act curtain-raiser, "Penny in My Pocket," a song restored from 1964. Nic Rouleau has a ringing tenor that is put to splendid use, and he's sweetly authentic as the smitten Cornelius Hackl. His sidekick – Sean Burns – is a total charmer as Barnaby Tucker, whose acrobatic dancing skills shine in "Dancing." Analisa Leaming sings beautifully and puts a delightful comic spin as Irene Molloy, the young widow Horace seeks to marry but Cornelius falls for; and Kristen Hahn is quirkily funny as Minnie Fay, Molloy's employee. While some of the supporting characters tend to ham, the blame rests on the staging that encourages them to do so.

Special kudos to the male ensemble who execute Warren Carlyle's athletic choreography that's pretty much the spirit if not the letter of Mr. Champion's. There is good reason why the title number remains so iconic, and much of it has to do with how this ensemble executes this number and the antic choreography that proceeds it as the waiters frantically prepare for Dolly's return to the Harmonia Gardens restaurant.

Santo Loquasto's handsome, postcard-perfect designs of the turn-of-the-20th century New York seamlessly fold in and out, and also reminiscent of the originals; as are his costumes (again, those Day-Glo pastels). But this "Dolly" is pretty much the Betty Buckley Show, which is exactly what a Big Lady Show like this needs. Her commanding alto remains in great shape, and at times brought to mind the sweet huskiness of Gwen Verdon, which isn't a bad thing at all in a musical-comedy such as this one. And like the great Dollys of the past, she holds the audience in the palm of her hands. That and the splendid tableau that is Gower Champion's staging, make it great to make an acquaintance with this old school musical again. Perhaps someday an adventurous director will curate a different take on this classic (or at least cast Varla Jean Merman in the title role); but until then this flash from the past makes for an enjoyable evening of Broadway nostalgia.

"Hello, Dolly!" continues through August 25 at the Citizens Bank Opera House, 539 Washington Street, Boston, MA. For more information, For upcoming dates in the "Hello, Dolly!" tour, visit the show's website.