STAGE TUBE: Geraint Wyn Davies Talks Playing 'Malachi' in Stratford's THE MATCHMAKER

Hilarity and hijinks ensue as the characters in Thornton Wilder's romantic comedy The Matchmaker. Head to New York for adventure and find love instead. The production, directed by Chris Abrahamand and set in the opulence of the Victorian period, began performances for the Stratford Shakespeare Festival's Festival Theatre on May 12. In the video, Geraint Wyn Davies talks about his character, Malachi Stack, in the festival's 60th season production of The Matchmaker!

Set in the 1800s, the play tells the story of Horace Vandergelder, a wealthy merchant with his eye ever fixed on the bottom line. The value of love evades him, even as he searches for a wife – but his matchmaker, Dolly Gallagher Levi, has her own plans for him.

In addition to Davies, the production's cast includes Tom McCamus as Horace Vandergelder and Seana McKenna as Dolly Gallagher Levi, with Laura Condlln as Irene Malloy, Mike Shara as Cornelius Hackl, Skye Brandon as Ambrose Kemper, Josh Epstein as Barnaby Tucker, Nora McLellan as Miss Flora Van Huysen, Cara Ricketts as Ermengarde and Andrea Runge as Minnie Fay.

The Matchmaker is an apt choice for inclusion in the Festival's 60th season, since Stratford played a key role in the play's creation. Wilder originally wrote it in 1939, as The Merchant of Yonkers, but its Broadway run was brief. Then in the early 1950s, Stratford's inaugural artistic director, Tyrone Guthrie, persuaded Wilder to rewrite it. The result, retitled The Matchmaker, premiered at the Edinburgh Festival in 1953 and went on to become a hit both in the West End and on Broadway, where it earned Guthrie a Tony Award for Best Director.

The production's artistic team includes Designer Santo Loquasto, Lighting Designer Michael Walton, Sound Designer Thomas Ryder Payne, Choreographer Jane Johanson, Dramaturge Robert Blacker, Dramaturge Jacob Gallagher-Ross and Stunt Coordinator Daniel Levinson.

The Stratford Shakespeare Festival's 2012 season runs until October 28, featuring Much Ado About Nothing; 42nd Street, The Matchmaker; Henry V; You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown; The Pirates of Penzance; A Word or Two; Cymbeline; Wanderlust; Elektra; MacHomer; The Best Brothers; Hirsch and The War of 1812.

Stratford Shakespeare Festival is located in Stratford, ON. For tickets, scheduling and further information, visit www.stratfordshakespearefestival.com.

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