Lisa Carroll breaks silence on her unexpected 'Hello, Dolly!' role

Lisa Carroll opened up about her Hello, Dolly! journey.

Lisa auditioned for the stage musical Hello, Dolly! In the 1960s and eventually became Carol Channing’s standby for the role of Dolly Levi as the character was previously played by Carol.

Now, speaking with People Magazine, Lisa recalled how the opportunity came together, saying, “I had the opportunity to audition for the Broadway musical Hello, Dolly! and they were looking for someone to understudy Carol Channing, because she was planning on leaving the show.”

She went on to elaborate, “They auditioned person after person after person, and they weren’t happy with what they heard. I, personally, didn’t want to do the standby. I wanted to do the classical version of Mrs. Molloy in Hello, Dolly! But when I went to audition, they didn’t see me as Mrs. Molloy. They saw me as Dolly.”

The performer revealed that she was initially rejected for her lack of stage experience but soon received the call from the person who handled her audition, “He said, ‘I was in a meeting and I heard them say, ‘Lisa Carroll would be great to take over for Carol Channing,’ so maybe I could represent you. Would you be interested?’ ” Lisa recalled.

Adding, “I said, ‘Oh yes, yes, very much.’ ”

And the very next day, her phone rang, “He said, ‘Good news, Ms. Carroll. They want you to stand by for Carol Channing and Hello, Dolly! on Broadway,’ ” Lisa further recalled.

Noting, “That’s how I got to understudy Carol Channing in Hello, Dolly! And then when she left the show, I was offered the lead and I played the lead for one year on Broadway.”

Moreover, her own remarkable journey inspired Lights, Camera, Lisa!, which she co-authored with Joseph P. Camel, the Broadway veteran explained, “It tells the story of a young girl like myself who came from the Midwest and didn’t know anybody, didn’t have any connections, and tried and tried. She was ready to go home because she couldn’t succeed. And finally, someone suggested going to this famous restaurant, Sardis, and that’s where she discovered it.”

“It shows that if you believe in something like yourself, and you have passion and desire, and you really want to succeed in life, you too can become a superstar. There is no such thing as age. It’s a question of desire and passion.”

“And if you have that desire and passion, you’ll make it in show business. You definitely will. You must stick to it,” she added further.

It is pertinent to mention here that the original Broadway production of Hello, Dolly! ran for nearly seven years from 1964 to 1970.