Real Matchmaker Counsels the Cast of Thornton Wilder’s “The Matchmaker” During Rehearsals for Play at Abington Senior High School

Kristi Price, a modern day Philadelphia matchmaker,  counseled the cast of the play that features a matchmaker from the 19^th century.

     “The Matchmaker” – an uproarious farce about love and money, stars the irrepressible busybody and marriage broker, Dolly Gallagher Levi. Through Dolly’s subtle machinations, several unlikely couples come together to find happiness in 19th-century New York. Horace Vandergelder, a widower who is determined to find a woman to “manage” his household, gets a run for his money from Mrs. Levi, since she intends to marry him herself!

     It occurred to Kristen Caiazzo, Abington’s faculty director, that the current high school generation may know of e-harmony, zoosk.com, and match.com, but they generally use social media like Facebook and Instagram and texting to meet potential loves …so they don’t know matchmakers like the heroine in this 19^th century play. 

     Kristi Price – a real, live, Philadelphia area matchmaker – was invited to visit during the cast’s rehearsal to counsel cast members about the joy and tribulations of matchmaking to a generation that probably does not really know what modern day matchmakers do or how they work.

     The questions and discussion of modern day matchmaking were fascinating.  Abington Senior High School student cast members asked how successful and widespread is matchmaking today …  how much does it cost?  … has Kristi Price – like Dolly Levi – ever fallen for a client? … how old is the oldest client Kristi has worked with? … is international matchmaking successful?  … and much more.

The play, “The Matchmaker,” will be performed November 12, 13, and 14, 2015 at 7:00 p.m. at Abington Senior High School – 900 Highland Avenue, Abington, PA.  Tickets are $10 general admission and $8 for students and seniors.  

In the photos:

• Kristi Price discusses modern day matchmaking with the Abington Senior High School cast of “The Matchmaker” during rehearsals. 
• Cast photo features cast performers in background and in the foreground, left to right:  21^st century matchmaker Kristi Price; 19^th century Dolly Gallagher Levi cast member Samantha “Sami” Robertson; and faculty director Kristen Caiazzo.