Los Altos Native Making Rounds With 'Hello Dolly' Role

LOS ALTOS, CA -- "Hello Dolly" is about to say goodbye to the San Francisco Bay Area as it heads to Las Vegas Monday then onto to Denver, taking with it not only veteran theater actress Betty Buckley but also Los Altos' own native son Nic Rouleau playing Cornelius Hackl in this four-time Tony award-winning musical.

The tour takes with it the sentiment of waving to Dolly's native actress Carol Channing, who hailed from San Francisco before dying two months ago. Buckley, who follows in the footsteps of Channing, Bette Midler and Bernadette Peters, provided an inspirational speech regarding the death of the legendary actress who won the Tony in 1964, Bay Area Plays wrote.

A class act, Buckley is on tour with the show's 63 actors, crew and orchestra members -- an experience of a lifetime, Rouleau describes.

"You do have to pinch yourself. She's someone so present," Rouleau, 32, told Patch about working with Buckley. "She's someone I've followed as a career since I was a young boy."

That says a lot considering Rouleau started acting at age 8 doing at least four shows a year with the Mountain View Peninsula Youth Theatre group and hasn't looked back since. This is despite coming from a long line of orthodontists in his family.

"My mom said maybe I could be a singing orthodontist," he said, joking.

Rouleau, who sings and acts as if they're second nature, commends his parents for their undaunted support.

Theater is definitely the Silicon Valley man's calling. His life's pace has kept with the hustle and bustle of the South Bay's tech land. He recently finished a record 2,500 performances in "The Book of Mormon" - with performances on Broadway, on the national tour and in Chicago with the original cast. He considers that gig his favorite.

"There's nothing like "The Book of Mormon." It's a dream role," he said. It has a special place in his heart for other reasons. He met his partner while touring in Chicago with the smash hit religious parody and turned around an engagement coming off the "Hello Dolly" stage.

Rouleau enjoys his character's sense of adventure and work ethic, he said about Cornelius. Still, there's naive quality that's refreshing.

"He's never even been to New York City," Rouleau said in rapid fire responses.

His sense of humor shines at all times in a quick wit a New Yorker would not only recognize but embrace, as if on the set of "Saturday Night Live."

Then, it stands to reason his television credits involve working alongside star actress, writer Tina Fey as Daddy's Boy in the “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt," which aired on Netflix. He's drummed up other credits on the national tour of "Legally Blonde" and "Toy Story: The Musical."

"Hello Dolly" has broken box office records week after week, receiving thunderous raves on Broadway while paying tribute to the original work of legendary director, choreographer Gower Champion, according to SHN. The Golden Gate Theatre group wraps up its run on Sunday -- with further performances of Lin Manuel-Miranda's blockbuster smash "Hamilton" about the U.S. founding father.

"Hello Dolly" is wrapping up its last weekend at the SHN Golden Gate Theatre through March 17. Tickets are on sale at shnsf.com. Those venturing south to see the show may obtain tickets for the Smith Center in Las Vegas at https://www.thesmithcenter.com.

The tour after Denver leads to 25 cities and ends in 2020 in New York before friends and family may belt out: "It's so nice to have you back where you belong."