The Matchmaker
“Loud, slap dash and uproarious … extraordinarily original and funny.”
“The lines of Wilder are so often brilliant, sage, and witty.”
Horace Vandergelder, a wealthy merchant in 19th Century Yonkers, NY, decides to take a wife and employs a matchmaker, Mrs. Dolly Levi. Dolly subsequently becomes involved with two of Vandergelder’s clerks, several lovely ladies, and the headwaiter at an expensive restaurant where this swift farce runs headlong into hilarious complications. After everyone gets straightened out romantically, Vandergelder finds himself affianced to the astute Dolly Levi herself.
The Matchmaker opened on Broadway on December 5, 1955 starring Ruth Gordon (Best Actress, Tony Award Nominee), directed by Tyrone Guthrie (Best Director, Tony Award Winner). The Matchmaker ran for 486 performances, Wilder’s Broadway record, and closed on February 2, 1957. It was later adapted as the musical Hello, Dolly!.
From the blog: Matchmaker to Dolly: The surprising history behind a show business classic
Videos
A Wilder Minute with The Matchmaker
FROM THE ARCHIVES
Ruth Gordon and Thornton Wilder backstage at the 1955 Broadway premier of The Matchmaker. Directed by Tyrone Guthrie.
LicENSE THE MATCHMAKER
Amateur Productions in the USA, Puerto Rico and Commonwealth Countries:
Samuel French Inc.
All Professional Productions; Amateur Productions outside the USA and Commonwealth Countries:
Alan Brodie Representation Ltd.
