‘I’ve always felt, money, pardon my expression, is like manure — it’s not worth a thing unless it’s spread about encouraging young things to grow.”
Cornelius Hackl, played by James Laver.
So says Dolly Levi, the title character in Thornton Wilder’s classic farce The Matchmaker, to be presented by Bangkok Community Theatre on Apr 25-26 and May 2-3 at 8pm at the new Alliance Francaise Theatre.
The Matchmaker is the record-breaking play, famous in its own right, upon which the revered musical Hello Dolly! is based.
Thornton Wilder is one of America’s most loved and celebrated writers who won three Pulitzer Prizes, the only writer to win for both drama and fiction. The Matchmaker is his biggest money-spinner that frequently attracts a bevy of beautiful leading ladies, including Shirley MacLaine in the 1958 film version and Barbra Streisand in its 1969 musical film version.
In the Bangkok production, Dolly, “the woman who arranges things”, a fast-talking funny larger-than-life character, is played by Nic Frances, fondly remembered by local audiences for her performances in The Country Wife and Pygmalion. Her love interest, Vandergelder, a rich and miserly businessman, is played by John Marengo, who is known in Bangkok as an acting coach, but has a wealth of film and stage appearances to his credit in the US. In all, it’s a formidable cast with sixteen actors and is produced by Stephanie Wallis and Jonathan Truslow.
The new Alliance Francaise Theatre is absolutely lovely and very comfortable. BCT’s production of The Matchmaker is a handsome production that will sit very nicely in this beautiful venue. Wilder wrote that he dedicated this play to the travelling stock companies, and vaudeville and burlesque theatres “with their painted backdrops” that he attended as a child.
BCT used that as the starting point in considering the set, creating four complete changes for the show. Costume design is in the inspired hands of Bonnie Zellerbach, who is well-known to Bangkok theatre lovers and television viewers. Bonnie has been tasked with a sumptuous feast of wonderful costumes that includes some really sexy bustles and a splendid array of hats for both men and women from an age very like our own, when style meant everything.
Though The Matchmaker has some musical moments, it doesn’t belong to the genre — it’s classic comedy, a farce, complete with hiding in closets and a soupcon of cross-dressing. Yet that’s not to say it’s without its differences.
Director Mark Sobels explains: “Unlike many farces, all the characters are very real and lovable. Someone called The Matchmaker Thornton Wilder’s love song to humanity and I think that’s a pretty neat description. But don’t get me wrong, the play has plenty of kick — it’s about adventure and love and money.”
The entire play takes place over one day — one hilarious, adventurous and very busy day that starts off ordinarily enough in a country store in the small town of Yonkers, New York but then moves to New York City, which is glamorous, exciting and bursting with opportunity.
What’s the play about? Well it’s about entertainment for a start, it’s about the transformative power of love, which affects even the worst of us, makes us better people. It’s about money, too, and what it does to people, including the creation of opportunity. And it’s about adventure. Thornton Wilder travelled all over the world and understood the value of adventure, which was evident in much of his work.
“The play is really quite sophisticated, yet it’s suitable for all ages,” says Sobels. “In America, The Matchmaker is presented all the time by professional companies and community theatre groups, but as far as we know it’s the first time it’s been staged in Thailand — certainly in an English version. It’s a great story that is of universal appeal. And it’s very, very funny.”
- The Matchmaker will be performed at the new Alliance Francaise Theatre off Witthayu Road next to the Japanese embassy on April 25-26 and May 2-3, at 8pm.
- Tickets are 850 baht. Drinks and light food (not included in the ticket price) will be available at the venue from 6.30pm.
- Email larry3690@gmail.com or call 087-517-2666, 087-517-2666 between 8am and 2pm.
From Left, Minnie Faye, played by Sea Thaicharoen, Dolly Levi, played by Nic Frances, and Irene Molloy, played by Stephanie Wallis.
