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June 28, 2004 - Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Valley&State Backpage O&E Sports Archives Classifieds Faith&Beliefs Obituaries Revels May 20, 2004 'Matchmaker' returns to comic roots By Robert H. Miller Tidings Reviewer If "Hello, Dolly," the 1964 musical by Jerry Herman, eclipsed the Thornton Wilder work on which it was based, the SOU Department of Theatre Arts dinner theater production of "The Matchmaker" is a joyous feat of restoration. It glitters and gladdens and lets us see how funny, how Wilder the play really is. The genesis was an 1842 comedy by Austrian playwright, Johann Nestroy, "Einen Jux will es sich Machen" (He Intends to Have a Fling), which was in turn based on an English original, "A Day Well Spent" (London, 1835) by John Oxenford. Wilder transported it to old New York in the early 1880s as "The Merchant of Yonkers" (1938). When it was presented at the Edinburgh Festival in 1954 it did so as "The Matchmaker," and played in Philadelphia and London the following year with Ruth Gordon as Mrs. Dolly Levi. Wilder called for sets that were not "solid" but consisted of cloths for the back walls and open wings for the side walls, with all curtains, pelmets, drapes, etc. painted. Scenic designer Troy Hemmerling opts for a charming concept: he converts the theater into the Harmonia Gardens Restaurant, The Battery, New York City. He devises an ingenious set, with components that swivel to depict Horace Vandergelder's living quarters above his mercantile store in Yonkers; Mrs. Molloy's hat store in New York City, and Flora Van Huysen's house, also in New York. The doors are set and do yeoman service throughout, and just so we don't lose our bearings, an illuminated sign aloft tells us where we're at. The lighting design is by Chris Sackett, the sound design by Josh McIntyre. Considerable credit is due guest director Michael Kevin. He constantly delights with inventive touches, such as the musical tinkling of the triangle when love dawns in the characters and they momentarily hold a still pose. He also effectively uses "The Harmonia Boys," a barbershop quartet, as a counterpoint to the action, and ensures that the laughs keep coming. So, what's it all about? Love is in the air. So are marriage machinations. Wealthy Yonkers merchant, Horace Vandergelder (Adam Cuppy), wants a wife, but he tries to thwart the marriage of his niece Ermengarde (Julia Strickland) to a young artist, Ambrose Kemper (Roger Thomas Wykes). Horace's two young employees, Cornelius Hackl (Cody Roberts) and Barnaby Tucker (Jeris Schaefer) , when he leaves to go on a wife hunt, go to New York themselves for a night on the town to kiss a girl. They end up in the hat store and lose their hearts respectively to Mrs. Irene Molloy (Alyson Marchi-Young) and her assistant Minnie Fay (Hannah Elizabeth Tinker). So who better than matchmaker, widow Dolly Levi, to apply her expertise to the situation? The twist is, she is in the market for a husband herself; Horace, no less. On the one hand, while appearing to assist Horace in his quest, she is astutely planning her own conquest. Dolly may indeed be "a woman who arranges things," albeit to her own advantage. She even titillates him with the virtues of a certain young prospect, Ernestina Simple; a simple deception, for she's a mythical miss. Complication and confusion abound, with disguise and mistaken identity, which show Wilder's command of farce. And when all is resolved, the cast sings "Let Me Call You Sweetheart." Along the way we have heard other songs, including Puccini's "O mio babbino caro" (O my beloved daddy), and have joined in an audience sing-along. "The Matchmaker" is an old gem, but SOU's cast makes it sparkle anew. With energy and enthusiasm, the sixteen members (four double as The Harmonia Boys) bring it to life. Adam Cuppy makes Horace arrogant and blustery, yet he strikes an absurdly pompous pose when in full uniform for his Lodge parade. He is positively Donald Trumpian when he tells his youthful workers, "You're discharged!" In the end, he melts under Dolly's handling to expose a heart of gold. Dolly is performed by Maggie McClellan (SOU's Voice and Movement Faculty) and beautifully attired by costume designer Deborah Rosenberg. She is captivating at all times in her cajolery but especially so in her arch assurance. Cody Roberts as Cornelius and Jeris Schaefer as Barnaby are a personable pair, two excellent young actors who contribute much to the hilarity. In the last ACT, we go to the home of Miss Flora Van Huysen, a friend of Horace, and Nicole Strykowski in a wonderfully theatrical performance comes close to stealing the show, with her gestures, singing, smelling salts and oft-repeated phrase, "The story of my life." One of Wilder's famous non-traditional devices - to have the characters offer some tantalizing thoughts directly to the audience - is much in evidence in "The Matchmaker." Horace says: "Marriage is a bribe to make a housekeeper think she is a householder." Cornelius declares, "I tell you right now; a fine woman is the greatest work of God." Dolly assures us: "Money is like manure; it's not worth a thing unless it's spread around encouraging young things to grow." Performances are at 8 p.m. (seating for dinner begins at 7 p.m.) on May 20-23 and 27-30, matinees on 22 and 29 at 2 p.m. Call 552-6348. 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