Potter and Cottingham to Star in “The Matchmaker”

The Lewis County High School Drama Department, under the direction of Miss Kayla Stafford, will perform “The Matchmaker” by Thorton Wilder on November 7th at 6pm and November 8th at 1pm. Starring Cayley Potter as Dolly and Logan Cottingham as Horace, the play is a humorous riot that will have audiences laughing out loud and crying out for more!

Pictured above: Cayley Potter & Logan Cottingham

“The play, set in the 1880s, opens at the home of Horace Vandergelder (from the German das Geld, “money”), in Yonkers, New York. A widower, and immensely proud of being a half-millionaire, Horace is preparing for a trip to New York City. Having rejected the suit of an artist, Ambrose Kemper (Devon Watson), who wants to marry his niece, Erma (Eden Jordan), Horace has decided to send his niece away to frustrate any wedding plans. After Vandergelder leaves, Dolly Levi, a friend of his late wife, and utilized by Horace as a marriage-broker, enters. Dolly is sympathetic to the niece’s romance, and agrees to help Erma and Ambrose. When Vandergelder returns, he tells Mrs. Levi that he now plans to marry the New York milliner Irene Molloy (Grace Bloomfield)” (Wilder Society). Dolly has other plans for Mr. Vandergelder. Yes, he’ll go to New York, but he’ll meet other suitors and finally end up with the bride that Dolly plans for him to marry.

While in New York, Vandergelder leaves his store (which has made him millions) with his trusted clerks, Cornelius and Barneby (Kyle Jarrells and Titus Lemaster). However, they decide a little adventure is in their future. The two travel to New York and end up on a date with Ms. Molloy and her trusted employee Minnie Faye (Kami Bentley). “In the final act, all the characters arrive at the home of Flora van Huysen (Bree Cooper), Horace’s relative. Flora misidentifies the romantic couples, believing, for example, that Barnaby (dressed as a woman) is Horace’s niece, and that the real Erma and Ambrose are somebody else, so that the farcical situation becomes even more chaotic” (Wilder Society). Eventually, true identities are revealed, and Flora persuades Horace to live a little and allow his friends and family to enjoy the world around them.

Join the LCHS Drama Department on November 7th at 6pm and November 8th at 1pm for a fun filled evening of entertainment and laughter. Adult tickets are $5 and Student tickets are $3. Concessions will be sold. All patronage supports the LCHS Drama Department.