Laughter guaranteed in 'Lend Me a Tenor'

The Cleveland Grand Opera Company hopes to put itself on the cultural map by bringing famed Italian tenor Tito Merelli (Steve Wissinger) to town to perform the lead in Verdi's "Otello." An unfortunate thing happens before the curtain, though. Tito commits suicide. At least the opera company thinks he has.

Misunderstandings and conspiracies lead to tragedy in "Otello." In "Lend Me a Tenor," a comedy opening tonight at Notre Dame Regional High School, they result in a romantic, sometimes racy and often giddy night of theater.

Besides singing, Tito is known to be fond of wine and women. The latter fact consumes his emotional wife, Maria (freshman Elizabeth Stewart) and leads company manager Saunders (Pete Wissinger) to put his anxious assistant, Max (Drew Willett), in charge of controlling Tito's appetites. It's a big job.

Maggie (Sarah Nenninger), who is Saunders' daughter and Max's fiancee, is smitten with Tito. The seductive Diana (Rachel Roggow), Tito's Desdemona, isn't above advancing her career in a bubble bath.

Also vying for Tito's affections is Julia (Jessica Anderson), the rococo Opera Guild chairwoman. Julia dresses "like the Chrysler Building," one character quips.

When Tito loses track of his pulse, Max is persuaded to secretly take his place in the concert. The moment the meek Max appears as Otello in blackface, pantaloons and fuzzy black wig might bring down the house. Later on, you can't tell who the Otellos are without a scorecard.

The notion that in Cleveland an assistant company manager could replace a renowned tenor in a concert is probably part of the joke in "Lend Me a Tenor." But it's endearing to see a Clark Kent become a Superman-- on-stage or off.

This is a cast with no seniors, but the inexperience doesn't show. A bit more flamboyance from Tito and more innocence from Maggie might be interesting, but director Cynthia King keeps the doors in the Merellis' hotel suite flinging open and closed so briskly that such subtleties are beside the point.

Willett and Pete Wissinger are especially good together as the scheming managers. Their give-and-take gives the show its backbone.

Stewart is fun to watch, and Jonathan Long is as annoying as he's supposed to be as the bellhop.

King is assisted by student directors Jennifer McCausland and Joe Schnell.

sblackwell@semissourian.com

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