With summer holidays on the horizon and people turning their thoughts to fun and a little R&R, Gallery 7 Theatre hopes The Matchmaker can satisfy some of those long-awaited summer delights.
Written by Thornton Wilder, The Matchmaker is a farce with real heart.
Horace Vandergelder, a shrewd and wealthy merchant, has decided to get married.
Securing the services of a matchmaker, Vandergelder entrusts his Yonkers shop to the care of his clerks while he heads to New York City in search of love. Tired of their mundane lives and longing for romance, the clerks close up shop and embark on their own adventure to the city.
Things really get complicated when they nearly run head-long in to their blustery boss in the city streets.
A series of hilarious episodes of hide-and-seek ensue in this adventure that inspired the smash-hit Broadway musical Hello Dolly!
Maple Ridge resident Annette Reilly returns to direct The Matchmaker, having directed last season’s run-away hit Pride & Prejudice.
“The Matchmaker brings up some very important questions for our lives,” says Reilly. “Should we drown ourselves in the pursuit of money? Should we obsess over finding love? Should we shut ourselves in and never participate in life or should we throw ourselves into every adventure imaginable? This play teaches us balance.”
• The Matchmaker plays June 10, 11, 16 – 18, 23 - 25 at 7:30 p.m., with additional discounted matinees on June 11 and 18 at 2 p.m. at the MEI Auditorium, 4081 Clearbrook Road, Abbotsford. Tickets are available at House of James, 2743 Emerson Street in Abbotsford or call 1-800-665-8828.