"This show is classic Broadway at its best," said Becky Groff, who plays the title character in "Hello, Dolly!" "It's just fun. The songs are singable. The show is heartwarming, but never sad. This is not a 'walk away thinking in deep about your life' show. This is a show you walk away from singing and smiling, and who doesn't love that?"

"Hello, Dolly!" will be performed at Susquehanna Stage, 133 W. Market St., Marietta, on select dates from Friday, Dec. 8, through Sunday, Dec. 17.

The story follows Dolly, a widow socialite-turned-matchmaker who works to find matches for others while navigating her own love story.

"The show is technically about the exploits of Dolly, but that's not really what it's about," Groff stated. "It's about finding love in unexpected places."

It's also about finding where you belong, said Amanda Trusty, who plays Irene Molloy. "A main theme in this show is chosen family," she said.

Groff noted that many of the characters in the show are stuck in jobs or roles that don't make them happy. "I think a theme is 'Don't wait to live,'" she said. "Don't wait until you retire to have a life, because life is too short."

When the cast began rehearsals for the show, director Keifer Kemmerly emphasized the overarching emotion he wanted audiences to take away from the show, Trusty said. "His whole thesis is 'joy,'" she shared. "Everything in the show is infused with joy."

Josh Glacken, who plays Horace Vandergelder in the show, said he was familiar with "Hello, Dolly!" and he was initially hesitant to audition.

"Honestly, I didn't love the show, but I had only seen it performed at a high-school level," he admitted. "This is very different, and I'm so happy I'm a part of this. It's really a great show and it's going to be very enjoyable for audiences."

Sean Reynolds, who plays Cornelius Hackl in the show, echoed Glacken's thoughts, adding, "Sometimes people might think with golden age musicals that they're dated. I don't think any of the material in this show is dated. The songs, the energy, the plot - it's all very translatable to a modern audience."

The cast of "Hello, Dolly!" features 21 actors, which is on the smaller side for a typical production of the musical, said Reynolds.

"It's nice, because everybody in the show gets a chance to shine, and everyone can be seen on stage," he remarked. "I think that's rare in a lot of musical theater, where there is often a really big ensemble."

The cast also features several younger actors, who surprised Groff at an early rehearsal.

"They didn't know the song 'Hello, Dolly!'" she recalled with a smile. "They had never seen or heard this show."

She considers that an opportunity to spread the joy of a timeless musical out to new audiences. "If you saw it when you were a kid, or if you've never seen it before, come see this," she said. "It's a fun show, and it's just universally appealing."

"Hello, Dolly!" will be performed at 7:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, Dec. 8, 9, 15 and 16, as well as on Thursday, Dec. 14. It will also be performed at 2 p.m. on Sundays, Dec. 10 and 17. For more information, visit http://www.susquehannastage.com.