Thursday, August 23, 2007

STT 2007 #6: The Matchmaker

"The Matchmaker" was another play that I saw in early July. It is the non-musical version of "Hello, Dolly!"

How did I like it? I liked it a lot. I actually typically enjoy Leslie Brott in any role that she fills, so it was a pleasure to see that she was playing the part of Mrs. Dolly Levi. And, I can probably say that the entire production was filled with just the right cast. There was nobody that struck me as out of place in the production. Everyone filled their roles very well. Other notable characters/actors that I especially enjoyed were those of Cornelius Hackl/Eric Van Tielen and Miss Flora Van Huysen/Carole Healey.

Having just seen "Mama Mia!" a couple of days before I saw "The Matchmaker," this play had to follow some awesome standards that were set in the scenery department. "Mama Mia!" employed the technique of colorful stage-changing props, some that were used for multiple situations. I enjoyed that, but I also quite enjoyed the scenery in "The Matchmaker." At the hat shop, I was first surprised that they used a drop-down for the store front windows with black hat silhouettes. I ended up really enjoying that. It reminds me of those black and white silhouette pictures that used to pop up now and again when I was younger. It was simple, artistic, and very enjoyable.

Really, I could have actually seen this play again. It was that enjoyable. The plot, the characters, the actors who portrayed the characters, the dialogue, the scenery... it was all good. And one thing that I liked about the play was that it gave me something to think about. The monologues of the various characters presented perspectives that gave me a chance to decide if I agreed or disagreed with their perspectives. I like that. It wasn't the kind of preachy message where I felt like the play write was trying to push his politics onto me, but it was more of a social commentary.

Ultimately, I think if I have the opportunity to see a production of "The Matchmaker" again, I'll most likely take it. Now that's a compliment to the production.

PS Real posts coming soon.

3 comments:

Cassie said...

I liked The Matchmaker but by towards the end the monologues drove me crazy. I felt it slowed the play way down. Plus I have always loved the musical version so I kept thinking every time they did a monologue this is where a song would be and how much more enjoyable that would have been.

sar said...

I was glad you mentioned the sets. I thought the hat-shop set, and its accompanying lighting, was particularly well done. I essentially agree on all points and thought the production was excellent.

julie said...

This was my favorite play for this season. I agree with you about the set, the actors, and the monologues, though I also agree with Cassie that by the end I would have liked shorter monologues. Having only seen Hello Dolly once a long time ago, I didn't mind the lack of singing.