Lend Me A Tenor

Reviewed by Holly Bartges

The run is over, and it is too bad. It was a fun, solid production by the “E” Project that can boast of sold out houses.

The cast of Lend Me A Tenor

Directed by Deb Flomberg, the stage came alive with the zany comedy Lend Me A Tenor by Ken Ludwig. Timing is everything in this roller coaster wild ride of misidentification, an over protective father, a tenor who doesn’t show up when he is suppose to, a boisterous Bellhop who wants an audition, a guy madly in love with his girlfriend, and a girl who doesn’t know if she is in love because rockets don’t flair and bells don’t ring.

The “E” Project shares the E-Vent Center space with the award winning Spotlight Theatre in the Kipling Colfax Shopping Center. Sharing resources gives both theatre companies a distinct advantage. The production Lend Me A Tenor leaves the “E” Project nearly standing side by side with some of the top community theatres around. The “E” Project and Spotlight are both a great lesson on what can happen on a shoestring budget, demanding to be paid attention to, which is why, even though Lend Me A Tenor closed last weekend, a review must be written.

In 1934, The Cleveland Grand Opera Company snared Tito Merelli, the world’s greatest tenor, to appear for a gala fundraiser as Otello. One small problem. Six hours before curtain with a sold out house, no one knows where Tito is.

In an upscale Cleveland hotel suite, Max paces the floor along with his star struck girl friend, Maggie Saunders. Maggie will do anything to get Tito’s autograph and just about does. Pat Payne took on the very professional, but “I-sure-want-to- prove-to-everyone-I-can-sing-too splendid demeanor of Max. Not only is he in a tizzy over Tito’s whereabouts, he is very much in love with Maggie. He has already asked her to marry him. She put him on hold because there are no bells, whistles, or fire works. Bonnie Greene played Maggie for all she was worth, and then some, with a stunning performance. Yea, Maggie does love Max, but she’s ready for a fling, wanting the bells, whistles, and fireworks. Right now, Maggie bristles with wild anticipation to meet Tito.

John Greene deliciously maintained Maggie’s father, Henry, General Manager of the opera company. He filled Henry with just the right amount of pomposity, frequently bellowing before he thinks, tormented by an over protective attitude toward Maggie who is miles ahead of Henry’s protective canopy.

Ten minutes before rehearsal begins, Tito makes his grand entrance along with his over dramatic wife, Maria. Gary Webster wrapped himself snugly and smugly in Tito’s over blown womanizing persona. Laura Lounge made her Colorado stage debut as Maria Merelli, Tito’s highly expressive, suspicious wife who fights hard and loves harder. Lounge was magnificent with her over pronounced Italian accent, and her over pronounced Italian style. How she and the cast working with her managed to keep a straight face is beyond me. Remember her name. It will be seen often.

On opening night Bernie Cardell played the all too eager I-want-to-be-a-star-and-all-I-need-is-Tito’s- endorsement-in-the-face Bellhop, a role Cardell has always wanted to play and he milked it for every syllable in the only way Cardell knows how: with an air of hysterical splendor. For the rest of the run Jamie Reed wore the Bellhop uniform and the all too eager naive little boy puppy dog expression holding his own.

Tito needs to sleep before the performance. Max gives him a double dose of sedatives to make sure he does. Unable to wake him for the performance, Max and Maggie decide he’s dead. Max convinces Henry he could play Otello. With the costume no one would know the difference since no one had ever heard or seen Tito. Tito wakes up when everyone has left, dons the second costume and gets arrested at the theatre for attempting to impersonate himself.

Breaking away, he turns the group hysterical by thinking there is a maniac running around town pretending to be Tito in an Otello costume. Max fools everyone including his lovesick Maggie begging for a fling with Tito. She gets her fling, hearing bells, whistles, and fireworks with Tito who is really Max.

Cathy Washburn in a stylized stance of high society as President of the Opera Guild plays Julia Le. She was wonderful in her elegant opera clothes and deliberate staged poses taking herself seriously while, at the same time, gently laughing at herself.

Jennifer Over played Otello’s leading lady, Diana, oozing sex appeal finding herself in a discombobulated state of confusion encountering Max as Tito and then Tito as Tito disguised by Otello’s mask and costume.

Entrances and exists came fast and furious, and from what I could tell no one missed a beat. This is one play that if any cast member harbors a blank-out, the entire show comes unglued.

Rich Munoz designed a creative, believable, nicely appointed set for an up scale Cleveland Hotel showing the sitting room, bedroom, closets, with a cut away wall. No one in the audience suffered an obstructed view. Cat Smith’s costumes nailed the 1934 period from the opera duds, to Julia’s eye popping silver going-to-the-opera gown, to the slippery sex starved leading lady Diana, to the Otello costumes. For one brief nano moment, even I was confused as to which Otello was which because of fast exists and a quick glance to an audience member who caught my eye from obviously having a grand time.

Lend Me A Tenor won six 1986 Tony Awards along with six Drama desk Awards. It has remained a favorite of Regional and Community Theatres. Because of its entrenched characterizations and high rolling speed, and hysterical lines that must be played with a straight face, this is no productions for a theatre that just wants to play at theatre. For success it calls and demands actors who are serious about what they do and a highly astute director. The “E” Project had it all tucked in their pocket.

There was a time when the “E” Project could easily be slighted for its not so altogether productions. No more. As Tito, Maria, Max, the Bellhop, Maggie, Henry, Julia and Diana all demanded their own attention, so the “E” Project now speaks. Expectations run high for following productions. Expectations stretches. Expectations push, Expectations instill desire to reach for the stars. If Lend Me A Tenor was in the middle of its run, it would definitely be on the do not miss list. That’s what community theatre is all about: reaching for the stars.