Aspiring singer/Cleveland Grand Opera Company functionary Max (Brian P. Evans) is having a bad day. World-famous visiting tenor, Tito Merelli (Dave Rivas), is late for a performance, and Max' boss and father of his girlfriend, Henry Sanders (Jeff Laurence) is chewing the scenery. To compound his problems, his lovely girlfriend, Maggie Saunders (Robin Boyington), is enamored with Tito. And this is only the beginning!
The audiences of Lend Me a Tenor, OnStage Playhouse's current offering, are entertained prior to curtain. Matt Warburton has taken a tiny part, the Bellhop, and turned it into a feature performance. First, we see a feather duster attached to a gloved hand. In the background, as through much of the production, the music of an opera plays. The dusting becomes an obsession as he wanders about the three-room hotel suite, soon to be occupied by Tito. As the music swells, he breaks into an aria from "Figaro," and the audience goes wild. (Well, the show is called Lend Me a Tenor.) We are amazed, amused, and enthralled later on when Rivas and Evans also break into song. Their duet is well choreographed, as is the staging throughout the show.
Lend me a Tenor defies simple categorization. It is a musical. It is a comedy. It is a farce. It is a love story. It is a satire. Playwright Ken Ludwig admits that the script was influenced by Shakespeare. As you watch the twists and turns, the relationships in flux and the eventual resolve, one can feel the roots of the bard.
There are many plot complications. Tito is a womanizer and his wife, Maria (Teri Brown), has had it and leaves him. Singer Diana (Angie Doren) is interested in advancing her career by making advances to Tito. Finally, there is Julia Leverett (renee levine), who also has romance in her eyes with she's around Tito.
However, playwright Ludwig is not just content with complex, ever-changing relationships. His script is filled with word trickery, including double entendres, puns and alliterations.
Lend Me a Tenor is pure enjoyment. The complexity teases the audience, pointing them in one direction, and then reversing course.
The script requires a talented cast, some of whom must be accomplished singers. The role of Maggie has a complex resolve that has to feel sincere. Julia is a star-struck middle-aged woman. Henry Sanders has shifts in his power base. Max, the hero, goes through a series of mixed blessings.
This cast bring us into their strange world, captivating us. Director Bob Christiansen cast many of the most talented actors in community theater. He brought in a talented film actress, Boyington, for her stage debut. Moment after moment, this group give us believable performances from characters that are, at times, extremely eccentric. Rivas and Brown are a delight in their heavily Italian-accented English.
Lend Me a Tenor is a perennial favorite since it was first introduced to audiences just over 20 years ago. This production is just right for a fun evening of light entertainment. You'll leave the theatre with a smile and, possibly, a tune echoing in your brain.
