Here I am for the first time as Dolly! Performances begin tomorrow #HelloDolly! pic.twitter.com/ipr1rTjWhI

— Bette Midler (@BetteMidler) March 14, 2017

Seeing Bette Midler in Hello, Dolly! next week — can't wait. 

I've never even seen this show, nor have I ever seen the movie. I know, I know. There are some holes in my gay past. I did know about the show as a kid, thanks to this:

I'm particularly interested at this time, having finished Carleton Carpenter's excellent autobiography, in which he recalls touring with the show opposite Mary Martin (whom he loved) and Ginger Rogers (seemingly, less so).

Check Out My Q&A with Carleton Carpenter!

That got me thinking about all the women who've played Dolly. With a hat tip to Richard Skipper's invaluable Call on Dolly ...

Barbra in the movie in 1968 (20th Century Fox)

Other famous broads who've bought Dolly to life:

Edie Adams 

Eve Arden

Pearl Bailey

Vivian Blaine

(Image by Stephen Cannon)

Thelma Carpenter

Carole Cook

Yvonne De Carlo

Phyllis Diller

Tovah Feldshuh

Betty Grable

Nonnie Griffin (no pic)

Lainie Kazan

Dorothy Lamour

Michele Lee

Ruta Lee

Mary Martin

Marilyn Maye

Ethel Merman

Ann Miller

Betsy Palmer

Molly Picon

Martha Raye

Ginger Rogers

Ann Sothern (no pic)

Samantha Spiro

Barbra Streisand (pictured above)

Sally Struthers

... and, of course, Miss Carol Channing, who recently turned 96.