In Wilder a second Pulitzer Prize for his play Our Townmaking him the only American to ever Pulitzers for both fiction and drama Every yearOur Town is still one of the most oftenproduced plays He a third Pulitzerin dramafor s The Skin of Our Teeth Wilder served in the Air Force during World War IIearning the Legion of Merit and the Bronze Star After the warhe wrote lessand his new works were greeted with less enthusiasm by criticsbut his place in American literature was already firmly established He died in December in the house in Connecticut where he had lived for years with his sisterwho served him as secretaryliterary advisorand business manager The Matchmaker is set in the s and begins in the cluttered living room of Horace Vandergeldera wealthy old widower living above his prosperous hayfeedand provisions store in YonkersNew York His bags are packedand he is being shaved by a barber Ambrose Kemperan artistis trying to get Vandergelder to allow him to marry Vandergelders nieceErmengarde Vandergelder does not approve because Ambrose does not make a steady incomeand the old man is too practical to consider either love or the promise of future earnings as significant reasons to change his mind Ambrose points out that Ermengarde is twentyfour and old enough to do what she wants Vandergelder says that he is sending Ermengarde away to a secret place to prevent the weddingbut then his housekeeperGertrudecomes in and announces out loud the address where Ermengardes luggage is being sent Vandergelder sends for his chief clerkCornelius Hackland explains to him that he is going away for a few days to be married He says that he is promoting the thirtythreeyearold Cornelius to the position of chief clerkeven thoughas Cornelius tells the junior clerk laterit is a position he has held for several years already When no other clerks are in the roomMalachi Stack enters with a letter of recommendation from a past ociate Vandergelder agrees to hire him and sends him away immediately to catch a train to New York City so that he can prepare for Vandergelders arrival after his marriage Vandergelder is out of the room when Dolly Levi arrives She is an old friend of his late wifea matchmaker who is supposed to be finding a suitable wife for Vandergelder She hears Ermengarde and Ambrose complaining that he is obstructing their wedding plansand she agrees to help themarranging to meet them at a restaurant in New York that night Vandergelder arrives and tells Mrs Levi his plans to marry Irene Molloy She makes up a story about a woman who is wealthysocially connectedand interested in himand so he agrees to put off proposing to Mrs Molloy Left aloneCornelius complains to the other clerkBarnaby Tuckerthat they never get time off to go out and experience life He goes downstairs to the store and heats some cans of tomatoes until they explodecreating a foul smell that forces them to close the storeand they take off to New Yorkplanning to have an adventure Act In the hat shop that she ownsIrene Molloy tells her istantMinnie Faythat she will marry Vandergelder if he asksin order to get out of the hat business She feels trapped by the reputation that milliners havewith her every move being watched by people who expect her to be a woman of low virtue Minnie objects that Mrs Molloy should not marry if she does not love Vandergelder They are in the back room when Cornelius and Barnaby come into the shop to hidehaving seen Vandergelder on the street When the women enterthe two clerks pretend to be wealthy men who are shopping for a hatactuallyfive or sixfor a friend Cornelius falls in love with Mrs Molloy immediately Seeing Vandergelder and Mrs Levi approaching the shopCornelius and Barnaby hide in a closet and under the tablerespectively Mrs Molloy suspects what is going on and leads Vandergelder to the back room to give them a chance to escapebut Cornelius decides to stay so that he can get to know Mrs Molloy Dolly Levi finds out about their situation and decides to help them When Vandergelder and Mrs Molloy come backthe conversation turns to Cornelius Mrs Molloy is under the impression that he is wealthyand Vandergelder says he is just a clerk Mrs Levi explains that Cornelius is actually a wellknown socialitea prankster who comes from a wealthy family and works at the shop in Yonkers to amuse himself The clerks sneeze and are found out Vandergelder walks outindignanttaking Mrs Levi with him Mrs Molloythinking that Cornelius really is wealthyinsists that he and Barnaby take Minnie and her to an expensive restaurant for dinner Act At the Harmonia Gardens RestaurantVandergelder plans to meet Mrs Levi and the mysterious woman whom she said admires him He sees Ermengarde and Ambrose enter He pays Malachi and the cabdriver who brought them to abduct the young couple when they leave and take them to the house of Miss Van Huysen The two clerks arrive with Mrs Molloy and her istant As she orders food and champagneCornelius worries about how they will pay the bill at such an expensive restaurant The waiter sets up another table and puts up a screen between the twofor privacy at the other table he seats Vandergelderwho is waiting for his date Malachi finds a wallet on the floor andnot seeing that it has dropped out of Vandergelders pockettakes it around the screen and gives it to Corneliuswhom he has never met No longer worried about the billCornelius confesses to Mrs Molloy that he is not rich and is just a clerk She suggests that they just have a good time Mrs Levi joins Vandergelder and explains that the woman she told him about has run away and gotten married During their conversationhe discusses how difficult Mrs Levi can beand she pretends that he is flirting with her and hinting at marriagein order to plant the idea in his head To get out of the restaurant without being seen by VandergelderCornelius and Barnaby put on the ladies coats and veils Before leavingthey take time to dance Vandergelderdancing with Mrs Levibumps into Cornelius and recognizes him He fires both clerksand Mrs Molloy breaks up with him Ermengarde enters and faintsto be carried out by Ambrose Mrs Levi points out the sorry situation of Vandergelders life Without niecewithout clerkswithout brideand without your purse Will you marry me now He still refuses Act The cab driver and Malachi arrive at Miss Van Huysens house with Cornelius and Barnabywho is still disguised as a woman they have mistaken them for Ermengarde and Ambrose Miss Van Huysen explains that she has no intention of interfering with young love as Vandergelder expects her to The real Ermengarde and Ambrose show up Expecting Miss Van Huysen to object to their relationshipthey tell her that Ambrose is Cornelius Hackl Dolly Levi arrives with Mrs Molloy and Minnie She pays off the cabdriver with from Vandergelders walletwhich Cornelius gave to her When Vandergelder arrivesMrs Van Huysen insists that he let the young lovers marry Everyone goes to the kitchenand Dolly Leviaddressing her husband Ephraimexplains that she intends to marry Vandergelder in order to spread his aroundcreating happiness When Vandergelder comes backhe does in fact propose to Mrs Levi Barnaby comes in and says that the other two couples are going to marrytooand Mrs Levi has Barnabyas the youngest member of the castgive a final speech to the audience about the importance of having enough adventure in ones life Summary
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