There’s a lot going on in “Hello, Dolly,” this weekend’s spring musical at Walter Panas High School in Cortlandt.

There’s Dolly, of course, a widow who’s ready to settle down with successful Yonkers businessman Horace Vandergelder.

There’s Vandergelder’s niece, Ermengarde, who wants to take up with a man of whom Vandergelder does not approve.

And there’s a hat-shop owner and her assistant – Irene Molloy and Minnie Fay – who go on a memorable date with Vandergelder’s workers, Cornelius Hackl and Barnaby Tucker.

Love is certainly in the air, along with Jerry Herman’s wonderful music and lyrics.

Theresa Egan, 16, a junior, plays Irene Molloy.

“She’s a really elegant person,” Egan says. “She sings this song, ‘Ribbons Down My Back,’ where she has to make this decision about moving on after being widowed. She doesn’t like the hat shop, she wants to move on from that business.”

It mirrors “Before the Parade Passes By,” the song Dolly sings to mark her decision to move on from her widowhood.

Egan says Irene knows that Cornelius doesn’t have money when he takes the foursome out on the town, but she’s interested in the adventure.

“He’s like no one she’s ever met before,” she says.

Watching the 1969 movie – and videos of other amateur productions on YouTube – helped Egan to find Irene Molloy.

“It gives me a well-rounded idea of what the options are,” she says. “Without watching the movie, I don’t think I’d know what I was doing.”

She’s been in the ensemble in years past, but Irene gives her a chance to have a song of her own, an experience she’s enjoying.

She says her Cornelius, David Ortiz, fits the part well – “he’s that happy young soul who just wants to burst.”

When she’s thinking about playing Irene, Egan says she thinks of the word “elegant” and “if you were to go to a fancy restaurant, how would you act?”

Irene, Minnie, Cornelius and Barnaby end up at a fancy restaurant, none other than the Harmonia Gardens, on the same night as Vandergelder, making for some pretty funny moments.

Ortiz, a senior, says Cornelius is trying to break out of a mold.

“He’s 33 years old, trying to finally get a girlfriend and start to live a life. I’m getting ready to go to college and start a life of my own, too,” he says.

Cornelius sings “It Only Takes a Moment,” when he finally stands up to Vandergelder. And it takes place in a courtroom, something Ortiz is accustomed to.

He’s been serving as an intern with the Westchester District Attorney’s office – “filing, and opening and closing cases, and I’ve been observing in court a few times.”

Ortiz says the script is his guide, reading it over and over to get a sense of the story and the character. And then he lets the moment take over when he’s on stage.

Corinne Credendino plays Irene’s assistant, Minnie, an innocent and naive girl who works in the hat shop. A sidekick, she ends up with Cornelius’ sidekick, Barnaby.

“Minnie follows everything Irene does,” she says. “And playing such a wide-eyed character is fun because you get to play so many reactions.”

John DiBari plays Barnaby, “an awkward guy who’s never been with a girl. His life revolves around working in Vandergelder’s store, so he’s lacking in social skills.”

As a sidekick, he’s as naive as Minnie is, if a little more nervous. When Cornelius hatches a plan to leave Yonkers for a big night in the city, Barnaby goes along, hoping only to see a stuffed whale at P.T. Barnum’s Museum.

“Hello, Dolly!” was among the most popular high-school musicals across the Lower Hudson Valley this year, with productions at Irvington and Pelham preceding Panas’ effort this weekend.

People love love stories, and this musical has plenty to choose from.

Photo by Stuart Bayer/The Journal News: Cast members including, from left, Tony DeFeo, Dylan Gerety, Sharon Abrams and Elena Gaby rehearse a scene from “Hello, Dolly” at Walter Panas High School in Cortlandt.

Building Character
Watch video interviews with David Ortiz as Cornelius and Theresa Egan as Irene at www.lohud.com/ localtheater.

“Hello, Dolly!”
Where: Walter Panas High School, 300 Croton Ave., Cortlandt.
When: 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
Tickets: $10.
Call: 914-739-2823, ext. 353.
With: Sharon Abrams, Sean Amundsen, Kristen Amundsen, Loren Alexander, Ray Bellis, Derek Bruzzese, Luke Best, Zach Boyd, Beverly Brower, Amanda Casale, Corinne Credendino, Tyler Chodkowski, Jack Chong, Hannah Civita, Ed Croft, Peter Collins, Michael Cullen, Tony DeFeo, Devon DePero, John DiBari, Michael DiDomizo, Theresa Egan, Ruben Espinosa, Matthew Faye, Andrew Federowicz, Faith Fleming, Kathryn Fredericks, Elena Gaby, Megan Gansfuss, Dylan Gerety, Hannah Gerety, Dennis Grant, Jettana Gunther, Jake Holderman, Victoria Hernandez, Jay Jani, David Jagdeo, Stephen Kingsley, Katryna Kristoferson, Krista Kristoferson, Hannah Lee, Rozele Leger, Annie Little, Tiffany Lopez, Marcus Low, Samantha Lowman, Casey McGovern, Paige McGovern, Michael McHugh, Michael Ray Mercado, Gabby Melillo, John Menzie, Katie Meyer, Jimmy Mullamphy, Rory Murphy, David Narain, Lindsay Nimphius, David Ortiz, Matthew Ortner, Nick Pearl, Malcolm Pelletier, Christine Peragine, Scott Peragine, Andy Pereira, Caitlin Puente, Nicole Radzilowicz, Morgan Rosh, Michael Saccamano, Bryanna Sampson, Matthew Scholtens, Courtney Scott, Nick Seckersen, Dana Shocker, Jenna Stewart, Mary Clare Sinisalchi, Alexander Yasuna