The Merchant of Yonkers

The Merchant of Yonkers is a farce by Thornton Wilder

The original text

This is a translation and adaptation by Wilder of Einen Jux will er sich machen, a 1842 Austrian play by Johann Nestroy (1801–1862)[1], itself an adaptation of A Day Well Spent (1835), a one-act English farce by John Oxenford ()[].

Wilder's American play revolves around Horace Vandergelder, a wealthy Yonkers, New York businessman, who is in the market for a wife.

The play premiered on Broadway in 1938.

Translations and adaptations

Wilder himself was involved in two further adaptations of his original version, namely The Matchmaker (1955) and Hello Dolly! (1981).

For more details on the two works, see the individual entries.