4CP’s “tenor” opens May 11

Contributed
Published: April 3, 2008

We hope that you will celebrate spring with us by coming to see “Lend Me A Tenor,” the Tony Award-winning farce by Ken Ludwig complete with slamming doors, mistaken identities, and crazy characters. Ken Ludwig has had a number of hits on Broadway, in London and around the world, including “Crazy For You,” “Moon Over Buffalo,” “Twentieth Century,” “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer,” and “Shakespeare in Hollywood.” “Lend Me A Tenor” has even been turned into a full-fledged musical that had its world premiere at the Utah Shakespearean Festival in 2007.
The plot of “Lend Me A Tenor” encompasses all the best components of farce. Set in 1934, it 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 a “Dear John” letter is left by his wife, who has mistaken an autograph-seeker hidden in his closet for a secret lover. 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 enlists the aid of his assistant Max to impersonate the opera star. Max is succeeding admirably…until Merelli awakens and heads for the stage. What follows is a chain-reaction of confusion, plot twists, double entendres, innuendoes and a lot of zaniness.
Kenneth H. Waller, who has been seen on the Four County stage in “Miracle on 34th Street” and “1776,” will be directing the show. His previous directing credits in the area include “Pirates of Penzance” and “Iolanthe” for New Lyric Theatre. The cast for this show includes many experienced actors including Chuck Beretz as Max, Bob Davis as Tito, Sunshine Manderbach as Maggie, Linda Waller as Maria and Mary Beth Wiley as Julia. Doug Schneider, named Best Actor 2007 by the C-ville, will be playing Saunders. Kate Lambert (Diana) and Gary White (Bellhop), seen in our recent production of “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,” round out the cast.
The show is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. May 11, 18 and 25 and 8 p.m. May 9, 10, 16, 17, 23 and 24. Adults, $12; seniors/students, $10, children 12 and under, $8. All Friday shows are only $5 per ticket. The show is appropriate for patrons ages 12 and older.