Broadway Theaters to Dim Lights in Honor of Carol Channing

Broadway is remembering Tony-winning actress Carol Channing. The marquee lights of every Broadway theater will dim at 7:45 p.m. Wednesday (Jan. 16) to honor Channing, who died Tuesday (Jan. 15) at her home in Rancho Mirage, California, at age 97. The Broadway League says the date marks the anniversary of the 1964 opening of Hello Dolly!

Channing delighted American audiences in over 5,000 performances as the scheming matchmaker Dolly Levi. Her performance earned her a Tony Award for best actress.

Broadway League chairman Thomas Schumacher says to see Channing “hold an audience in her thrall was a master class in star power.” Besides Hello, Dolly!, Channing starred in other Broadway shows, but none with equal magnetism.

Channing received a special Tony in 1968 and a Tony for lifetime achievement in 1995.