Editing The Matchmaker

{{Short description|Play written by Thornton Wilder}}
{{About|the play||Matchmaker (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{More citations needed|date=November 2010}}
{{Italic title}}
{{infobox play
| name = The Matchmaker
| image = MatchmakerPICT0266.JPG
| caption= The Matchmaker theatrical set drawing by Bernard Gray
| writer= Thornton Wilder
| characters = {{bulleted|Horace Vandergelder|[[Dolly Gallagher Levi]]|Irene Molloy|Minnie Fay|Cornelius Hackl|Barnaby Tucker|Ermengarde|Miss Flora Van Husen|Malachi Stack|Ambrose Kemper|Gertrude|Miss Van Husen's Cook|Rudolf|Joe Scanlon|August}}
| setting = New York City
| premiere = 1954
| place = [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]]
}}
'''''The Matchmaker''''' is a 1954 [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] play by [[Thornton Wilder]], a rewritten version of his 1938 play ''[[The Merchant of Yonkers]]''.

==History==
[[File:Matchmaker Act2 by Reginald Gray.jpg|thumb|right|Theatre decor of ACT 2]]
The play has a long and colorful history. [[John Oxenford]]'s 1835 one-act [[farce]] ''A Day Well Spent'' had been extended into the full-length play  ''[[Einen Jux will er sich machen]]'' (''He'll Have Himself a Good Time'') by Austrian [[playwright]] [[Johann Nestroy]] in 1842. In 1938, Wilder adapted Nestroy's version into the Americanized comedy  ''[[The Merchant of Yonkers]]'', which attracted the attention of German [[Theatre director|director]] [[Max Reinhardt]], who mounted a [[Broadway (theatre)|Broadway]] production, which was a flop, running for only 39 performances.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/the-merchant-of-yonkers-12400|title=The Merchant of Yonkers – Broadway Play – Original – IBDB|website=www.ibdb.com}}</ref>

Fifteen years later, director [[Tyrone Guthrie]] expressed interest in a new production of the play, which Wilder extensively rewrote and rechristened ''The Matchmaker''. The most significant change was the expansion of a previously minor character named Dolly Gallagher Levi, who became the play's centerpiece. A widow who brokers marriages and other transactions in [[Yonkers, New York]] at the turn of the 20th century, she sets her sights on local merchant Horace Vandergelder, who has hired her to find him a wife. After a series of [[slapstick]] situations involving mistaken identities, secret rendezvous behind carefully placed screens, separated lovers, and a trip to night court, everyone finds themselves paired with a perfect match.

==Productions==

The play, starring [[Ruth Gordon]] as Dolly and [[Sam Levene]] as Horace Vandergelder, debuted at the [[Edinburgh Festival]] in Scotland on [http://www.twildersociety.org/works/the-matchmaker/ November 4, 1954]; at the Edinburgh Festival, in Berlin—[http://barbra-archives.com/films/hello_dolly_streisand.html for the troops] and at the [[Theatre Royal Haymarket]] in London's [[West End theatre|West End]]. Due to a salary dispute with Broadway producer David Merrick, Sam Levene left the production after playing the role of Horace Vandergelder for over a year in Europe. Loring Smith replaced Levene as Horace Vandergelder and opened on Broadway December 5, 1955 at the [[Royale Theatre]], later transferring to the [[Booth Theatre|Booth]] to complete its run of 486 performances.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://theatwithricalia.com/play/425/the-matchmaker/production/8tf|title=Production of The Matchmaker – Theatricalia|website=theatricalia.com}}</ref> [[Ruth Gordon]]'s performance in the title role earned her a [[Tony Award]] nomination as Best Actress; Guthrie won as Best Director.<ref name=ibdb>{{cite web|url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/the-matchmaker-2561#Awards|title=The Matchmaker – Broadway Play – Original – IBDB|website=www.ibdb.com}}</ref>
[[File:Me in The Matchmaker.jpg|thumb|right|A production of The Matchmaker at the Thwaits Empire Theatre, in Blackburn, England]]
===Characters and original Broadway cast===
The characters and original cast of ''The Matchmaker'' are recorded at the [[Internet Broadway Database]].<ref name=ibdb/>
*Horace Vandergelder, a Merchant of Yonkers – [[Loring Smith]]
*[[Dolly Gallagher Levi|Mrs. Dolly Gallagher Levi]], a Friend of Vandergelder's Late Wife – [[Ruth Gordon]]
*Irene Molloy, a Milliner – [[Eileen Herlie]]
*Minnie Fay, Mrs. Molloy's Assistant – [[Rosamund Greenwood]]
*Cornelius Hackl, a Clerk in Vandergelder's Store – [[Arthur Hill (Canadian actor)|Arthur Hill]]
*Barnaby Tucker, an Apprentice in Vandergelder's Store – [[Robert Morse]]
*Ermengarde, Mr. Vandergelder's niece, whom Ambrose wants to marry — [[Prunella Scales]]
*Miss Flora Van Husen, a Friend of Vandergelder's Late Wife – [[Esme Church]]
*Malachi Stack – [[Patrick McAlinney]]
*Ambrose Kemper, an Artist – [[Alexander Davion]]
*Gertrude, Vandergelder's Housekeeper – Charity Grace
*Miss Van Husen's Cook – Christine Thomas
*Rudolf, a Waiter – William Lanteau
*Joe Scanlon, a Barber – Philip Leeds
*August, a Waiter –  John Mulligan

==Adaptations==

The [[The Matchmaker (1958 film)|1958 film version]], adapted by [[John Michael Hayes]] and directed by [[Joseph Anthony]], starred [[Shirley Booth]] as Dolly, [[Anthony Perkins]] as Cornelius, [[Shirley MacLaine]] as Irene, [[Paul Ford]] as Vandergelder, and [[Robert Morse]] reprising his Broadway role as Barnaby.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmovie.com/movie/the-matchmaker-v31800|title=The Matchmaker (1958) – Joseph Anthony – Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related|website=AllMovie}}</ref>

The story enjoyed yet another incarnation in 1964 when [[David Merrick]], who had produced the 1955 Broadway play, partnered with composer [[Jerry Herman]] to mount the hugely successful, Tony Award-winning musical  ''[[Hello, Dolly! (musical)|Hello, Dolly!]]'' starring [[Carol Channing]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/hello-dolly-2810|title=Hello, Dolly! – Broadway Musical – Original – IBDB|website=www.ibdb.com}}</ref>

A [[Hello, Dolly! (film)|film version of ''Hello, Dolly!'']] was released in 1969 starring [[Barbra Streisand]] in the lead role.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmovie.com/movie/hello-dolly-v22113|title=Hello, Dolly! (1969) – Gene Kelly – Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related|website=AllMovie}}</ref>

==See also==
* ''[[On the Razzle (play)|On the Razzle]]'', 1981 farce by [[Tom Stoppard]] also based on the 1842 musical ''[[Einen Jux will er sich machen]]''<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.samuelfrench.co.uk/p/2938/on-the-razzle|title=On the Razzle – Samuel French|website=www.samuelfrench.co.uk}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|The Matchmaker}}
*{{IBDB title|2561}}
*[http://www.twildersociety.org/works/the-matchmaker/ ''The Matchmaker'' Plot Summary and Critical Analysis], by the Thornton Wilder Society

{{Thornton Wilder}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Matchmaker, The}}
[[Category:1954 plays]]
[[Category:Broadway plays]]
[[Category:Plays by Thornton Wilder]]
[[Category:Plays set in the 19th century]]
[[Category:Plays set in New York City]]
[[Category:Plays based on other plays]]
[[Category:American plays adapted into films]]
[[Category:Culture of Yonkers, New York]]
[[Category:A Day Well Spent]]
[[Category:Works based on Einen Jux will er sich machen]]