Lend Me a Tenor

Lend Me a Tenor
Written by	Ken Ludwig
Date premiered	March 6, 1986
Place premiered	West End
Original language	English
Genre	Comedy
Setting	A hotel suite in Cleveland, Ohio in 1934.
IBDB profile

Lend Me a Tenor is a comedy by Ken Ludwig. The play has been translated into sixteen languages and produced in twenty-five countries. It is a popular choice of regional theatre companies and community theatre groups. The play earned eight Tony Award nominations, winning one for Best Actor.

Synopsis

Set in 1934, the farce revolves around renowned tenor Tito Merelli, known to his fans as "Il Stupendo," who is scheduled to sing the lead in Otello, produced as a gala fundraiser for the Cleveland Opera Company. Unfortunately, even before the star leaves his hotel room, everything begins to unravel. Chaos ensues when Merelli's wife, who has mistaken an autograph-seeker hidden in his closet for a secret lover, leaves him a "Dear John" letter. The distraught Merelli accidentally is given a double dose of tranquilizers to calm him and passes out. Saunders, the company's General Manager, is determined the show must go on (for his own financial sake), so he asks his assistant Max to impersonate the opera star. Max puts on the blackface makeup required for the role of Otello, and his disguise succeeds admirably--until Merelli, also in blackface, wakes up and heads for the stage. What follows is a chain-reaction of mistaken identity, plot twists, double entendres, innuendoes, and constant entrances and exits through many doors.

Productions

The play, originally titled Opera Buffa, had been produced at a summer theater, American Stage Festival. The English director David Gilmore read it and asked to direct; Andrew Lloyd Webber was the producer. ^[1]

The West End production opened on March 6, 1986 at the Globe Theatre, where it ran for ten months, closing on January 10, 1987. The cast featured Denis Lawson (Max), Jan Francis (Maggie), John Barron (Saunders), Ron Holgate (Tito), Anna Nicholas (Maria), Edward Hibbert (Bellhop), Gwendolyn Humble (Diana), and Josephine Blake (Julia).^[2][3]

After sixteen previews, the Broadway production, directed by Jerry Zaks, opened on March 2, 1989 at the Royale Theatre, where it ran for 476 performances. The cast included Philip Bosco, Victor Garber, Ron Holgate, Tovah Feldshuh, Caroline Lagerfelt, and Jane Connell.

A Broadway revival will begin performances at the Music Box Theatre on March 11, 2010 and will officially open on April 4, 2010. It will star Anthony LaPaglia, Tony Shalhoub, Jan Maxwell, Mary Catherine Garrison, Jennifer Laura Thompson, Jay Klaitz, and Brooke Adams.^[4]

Adaptations

A musical adaptation was presented in May 2006 as a staged reading as part of the Utah Shakespearean Festival's New American Playwright Project. Based on feedback received from the audience and industry professionals, the creative team fine-tuned their work, which premiered as part of USF's Summer 2007 repertory season and received rave reviews [1].

Awards and nominations

Laurence Olivier Award for Comedy of the Year Nomination

Tony Award

• Best Play (nominee)
• Best Actor in Play

Philip Bosco (winner)

Victor Garber (nominee)

• Best Featured Actress in a Play – Tovah Feldshuh (nominee)
• Best Scenic Design – Tony Walton (nominee)
• Best Costume Design – William Ivey Long (nominee)
• Best Direction of a Play (nominee)

Drama Desk Award

• Outstanding Actor in a Play – Philip Bosco (winner)
• Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play – Tovah Feldshuh (winner)
• Outstanding Director of a Play (winner)
• Outstanding Costume Design (winner)
• Outstanding Lighting Design – Paul Gallo (nominee)
• Outstanding Set Design (nominee)

References

External links

• Internet Broadway Database listing
• New York Times review