The Matchmaker

Thornton Wilder's 1938 stage play The Merchant of Yonkers was based on an old British stage farce by John Oxenford (which in turn served as the basis of an Austrian farce by Johann Nestroy). Merchant of Yonkers was a bomb, but Wilder was quite fond of the piece, so he revised it as the considerably ...more

Thornton Wilder's The Matchmaker is a rarity, a farce with heart. Because of their reliance on fast pacing, complicated plotting and characters that are usually types rather than fully formed people, even the best farces tend to skimp on warmth. But there's a sentimental, sometimes melancholy little melody that keeps sounding underneath the cacophony that accompanies Wilder's boisterous goings-on, and it's a welcome addition. Matchmaker is made even warmer by the presence of the charming Shirley ...more