By Chukwunedum Ebo
Gilman Theater Delivers Yet Another Classic
January 29th, 2024: a long-awaited Sunday for many members of the Gilman community. An amazing production set to take place that evening that would captivate many. No, I’m not talking about the AFC Championship. I’m talking about the final showing of Thornton Wilder’s The Matchmaker performed by Gilman’s Performing Arts Department, which continued its new tradition of performing staged readings for its winter production. The play was a comedic tale of adventure and love, filled with many twists and turns and spectacular acting performances. Gilman’s class of ‘24 represented with mainstays in the Gilman Theater program; Jameson Maumenee ‘24, Patrick Ryan ‘24, Patrick Hervy ‘24, and Logan Haerian ‘24 all played major roles, while Ben Cooper ‘24 and Christian Hall ‘24 ran the stage crew. Maumenee, who played Horace Vandergelder, one of the play’s protagonists, perfectly embodied his character, delighting the audience with his booming voice and outbursts. Furthermore, Jamie Howard ‘24 and Zach Minkin ‘24 did a fantastic job as the narrator and Cornelius Hackl respectively (it was also Minkin’s debut performance). In the play, Hackl is a clerk in Mr. Vandergelder’s store alongside Barnaby Tucker, played by Owen Murphy-Lenk ‘27. The play was filled with lovely performances by quite a few underclassmen too, namely, Nikhil Gupta ‘26 and Carlos Paxon-Baleeiro ‘27, who both did a wonderful job in their roles as waiters.
The play was also filled with talented tri-school actresses who helped make the production successful. Bryn Mawr’s Jenna Reese Bruning ‘25 was Mrs. Dolly Levi, the matchmaker, and provided the audience with many clever quips and comedic moments. As the matchmaker, she attempted to set up various relationships, including Cornelius Hackl with Mrs. Irene Molloy, played by RPCS student Laila Carroll ‘24, and Ambrose Kemper (Patrick Hervy ‘24) with Ermengarde, played by Bryn Mawr student Evie Burke ‘26. Mrs. Levi additionally tries to marry Horace Vandergelder herself, an interesting twist in the tale. Ava Linehan ‘27 of Roland Park and Yael Brown ‘27 of Bryn Mawr did excellent jobs as Minnie Fay, Mrs. Malloy’s assistant, and Gertrude, an old maid for Horace Vandergelder. The final act occurred in the home of Miss Flora Van Huysen, played by Yvonne Romulus ‘26, and her cook, played by Gigi Cohen ‘27. This final act saw three couples, Mrs. Malloy and Cornelius Hackl, Mrs. Levi, and Horace Vandergelder, and Ambrose Kemper and Ermengarde, finally marry – quite the ending to a wonderful production.
Mr. John Rowell directed yet another amazing staged reading, even amidst a couple of inconvenient snow days that impacted rehearsal time. A staged reading requires entirely different procedures. To make this one successful, Mr. Rowell noted that he had to make some movement and staging changes, specifically in the Hat Shop scene where Cornelius Hackl spends the majority of the scene hiding behind clothes in a closet. When asked about why he chose the Matchmaker for this performance, Mr. Rowell said that he liked how Thornton Wilder uses a very comedic storyline to share very heavy knowledge with the audience, “Even in the middle of a classic farce, Wilder pauses to have the characters reveal their truths and life philosophies. The play is full of old wisdom about how to live a life worth living that I feel is timeless.” Additionally, Mr. Rowell said he’s very proud of his actors and “the way they made it happen at every performance.”
The play was a wonderful representation of all the exceptional talent at Gilman and throughout the tri-school. For those who did not get the opportunity to see this production, you will have another chance to watch a great production by Gilman’s theater program this spring when this year’s musical Something Rotten takes place on May 2nd-5th, 2024. Topping the spectacular performance that was TheMatchmaker will be difficult, but I have faith that our theater program will yet again exceed all of our expectations.