Once again the Drama department has wowed their audience with a truly amazing production. Their spring production of The Matchmaker had great turnouts all three nights.
The Matchmaker was about a young girl, Ermengarde, who wants to marry her boyfriend, Ambrose Kemper, an artist, but her rich uncle, Horace Vandergelder, doesn’t approve. Her uncle also wishes to get married to Mrs. Irene Molloy, but he just wants a woman to run his home, not love.
There are Mr. Vandergelder’s two assistants, Cornelius Hackl and Barnaby Tucker, who wish to get away from the shop for once and experience New York City. Mr. Vandergelder’s friend, Mrs. Dolly Levi, is setting up Mr. Vandergelder with Mrs. Molloy but wishes to marry him herself.
Dolly tells Ermengarde to run away with her boyfriend no matter what her uncle says. The two assistants find a way to get away from the shop for a night and escape to New York City.
While in New York City, Cornelius and Barnaby meet Mrs. Molloy, and her assistant, Minnie Fay. They barely escape from Mr. Vandergelder and end up taking the girls out to dinner at the Harmonia Gardens, the restaurant where Mrs. Levi and Mr. Vandergelder are.
At the restaurant, all of the characters run into each other in a hilarious moment.
By the play’s end, Ermengarde and her boyfriend, the two clerks and their new lady friends, and Dolly and Mr. Vandergelder all end up at another family friend’s house where all the new relationships are revealed.
“It was a great experience, getting to direct this wonderful cast. It may have been trying at times but they all pulled it together and came out with a great show,” said Stage Manager Melany Scannell.
The freshman who played the clerks, Cornelius and Barnaby, performed much better than what is expected from newer students at the school.
The leads Nicole Hamre, playing Mrs. Dolly Levi, and Kristen Koury, playing Mr. Vandergelder, showed that their extensive experience with acting at DHS really paid off. Even though Kristen’s part was a man, she portrayed her character really well. Nicole had us all convinced that she was this worldly woman. The rest of the actors and actresses performed very well also.
“I used to have to go to the plays because I was in drama and had to go for my grade, but now I like to go without being in the class. They are always really good and entertaining,” said Sophomore Alejandra Avalos.
The cast may have had a couple of slips on stage that weren’t planned but they played them off well and made it seem as though they were supposed to happen. The cast worked well together and made the show fun to watch.
If you missed it, a future DHS play is definitely something to go out and see.
