'Polka' from "Hello, Dolly!"
©1963 and 1964 by Jerry Herman
Dance and Incidential Music by Peter Howard

How on earth do you follow the roof-shaking "The Waiter's Galop" and the title-song production number? If you figure it out... let me know! :)

The stage production was followed by the polka contest. The actual dancing was being done--but dialogue was being spoken on the side so the music is really underscoring.

Vandergelder realizes that he's lost his purse and can't pay for the meal--but Dolly keeps right on eating. Cornelius and Barnaby (along with Irene and Minnie) are spotted at which point Ambrose and Ermengarde "polka" right into Vandergelder. Rudolph (the Headwaiter of The Harmonia Gardens) brings in policemen and tries to have Vandergelder arrested. The others try to get out of the restaurant and a melee ensues. The police decide to arrest everyone and the policemen herd the dancers and diners into a corner and the Harmonia Gardens Restaurant set flies out and a docket rail slides in as well as a judge's bench (complete with judge!). The music abruptly ends and the crowd of diners and dancers are babbling angrily. The judge demands silence and asks who is to speak for the group and all heads slowly turn towards a downstage table where Dolly is still sitting and still eating.

(I saw the original production with Carol Channing--and I was VERY young...only 12 or 13.... but I remember one of the funniest "bits" took place at this point. Carol Channing seemed to be eating an unbelievable quantity of dumplings. The dumplings appeared solid--but were obviously cotton candy that would melt away. She glances over at the ensemble and judge staring at her. Realizing that she must get on with "business", she begins to eat the dumplings faster--one right after the other and before long, she abandons the silverware and is stuffing them in her mouth with both hands. The audience was in hysterics. She finished, took a drink, daintily touched her lips to her napkin, stood up and started to march into the courtroom scene, at which point she let out a reverberating belch. The audience was practically rolling in the aisles with that second "punch". Needless to say--I don't remember much about the courtroom scene!)