Playwright: Thornton Wilder. At: The Goodman Theatre, 170 N. Dearborn St. Tickets: 312-443-3800; www.GoodmanTheatre.org/Matchmaker; $25-$82. Runs through: April 10
I first saw Allen Gilmore performing Renaissance Italian commedia dell'arte, a challenging style to sell to modern audiences. He wore a false nose, and I knew immediately he was a master. I've seen Gilmore since in far more profound roles, both serious and comic, so when he was cast as curmudgeon Horace Vandergelder in The Matchmaker, I knew the role was in admirable hands and director Henry Wishcamper was a savvy guy.
You'll know Horace Vandergelder if you know Hello, Dolly!, the faithful and delightful musical adaptation of The Matchmaker. He's the irascible, 60-ish, wealthy Yonkers merchant who's decided to marry again, circa 1896. He's hired old friend Dolly Gallagher Levi to find a sensible bride, but Dolly herself is after Horace and finally lands him after untangling complications and promoting two other romances.
The Matchmaker is Thornton Wilder's 1954 play based on several earlier farces. As Wilder was a brilliant man-of-letters, he overlays the original farce elements with comedy of ideas. A successful productionand The Matchmaker isn't done oftenmust balance physical action and Shavian verbal dexterity. This production has the right balance of action and intellect, and highlights poignant moments as well. Whoever plays Vandergelder, for example, must never signal that his character is funny but must signal that Horace is lonely. Vandergelder's blustery belief in his own infallibility must be real but restrained, and Gilmore is just the man for the job.
Of course, The Matchmaker requires a commanding and appealing Dolly who must be as earnest as she is charmingly devious. Kristine Nielson delivers the goods, balancing Dolly's caginess with a touch of the madcap, and savoring one of the few juicy leading lady roles for women of a certain age.
The large, capable supporting cast mixes trustworthy veteransMarc Grapey ( as Malachi Stack ), Elizabeth Ledo ( Irene Molloy ) and Marilyn Dodds Frank ( Flora Van Huysen ), among themwith experienced younger performers such as Postell Pringle ( Cornelius Hackl ), Behzad Dabu ( Barnaby Tucker ) and Theo Allyn ( Ermengarde ). Under Wishcamper's knowing guidance, they are deft physical and verbal players who understand that farce must build and must not become too fast or too loud too soon. The cast is unusually diverse, with physically challenged and alternative-gender performers among a multicultural company.
Neil Patel's scenic design is somewhat cold for my taste, anchored by tall steel trusses like "El" track columns, but is effective in suggesting turn-of-the-last-century New York City, and I enjoyed his Act IV homage to 19th-century wing-and-drop scenery. Jenny Mannis's costumes cement the time period in appropriate colors and patterns, from Mrs. Molloy's neck-to-toe black dress to Dolly's traditional red dress, with men in striped, solid and plaid suits.
This Matchmaker is a breath of spring.