Castle Craig Players Continue 27th Anniversary Season with Ken Ludwig's LEND ME A TENOR

Castle Craig Players continue their 27th Anniversary Season with Ken Ludwig's hilarious comedy "LEND ME A TENOR", running May 3-18, at their intimate Meriden cabaret venue.

Winner of 3 Tony Awards and 4 Drama Desk Awards, "LEND ME A TENOR" is set in September 1934. Saunders, the general manager of the Cleveland Grand Opera Company, is primed to welcome world-famous singer Tito Merelli, known as "Il Stupendo," the greatest tenor of his generation, to appear for one night only as the star of the opera. Tito arrives late, and through a hilarious series of mishaps, he is given a double dose of tranquilizers and passes out. His pulse is so low that Saunders and his assistant Max believe he's dead - and in a frantic attempt to salvage the evening, Saunders persuades Max to get into Merelli's costume and fool the audience into thinking he's Il Stupendo. Max succeeds and lives up to his idol, but Merelli regains consciousness and gets into the identical costume, ready to perform. Now two opera singers are running around in the same costume and two women are running around in lingerie, each thinking she is with Il Stupendo. A sensation on Broadway and in London's West End, this madcap, screwball comedy is guaranteed to leave audiences teary-eyed with laughter.

"Having played the role of Maria in a production of "LEND ME A TENOR" several years ago, I was delighted to be given the opportunity to revisit this delightful comedy," said director Pam Amodio. "Filled with multiple mishaps, multiple dalliances, and multiple doors - our audiences are sure to have multiple laughs!"

The cast includes Len Fredericks as Tito, David Macharelli as Max, Katie Kirtland as Maggie, Melissa McCarthy as Diana, Arthur Canova as Saunders, Debra O'Connell as Julia, Kaite Corda as Maria and Oliver Kochol as the Bellhop.

The creative team also includes Meg Ryan (Production Stage Manager), Melanie Pendleton (Assistant Stage Manager) and Dusty Radar (Lighting Designer).

"LEND ME A TENOR" runs for three weeks only - May 3-18 (Fridays & Saturdays at 7:30pm, Sundays at 2:00pm, with a special Thursday performance on February 28 at 7:30pm) at The Almira F. Stephan Memorial Playhouse, 59 West Main Street, Meriden, CT. Presented Cabaret Style with table seating, patrons are invited to bring their own dinner, drinks and snacks to enjoy!

Tickets are $20 for Adults and $18 for Seniors (65+). Seating is extremely limited - so patrons are encouraged to buy in advance! Tickets may be purchased online at www.CastleCraig.org or over the phone by calling toll-free 1-800-838-3006.

"LEND ME A TENOR" is sponsored by Thompson Chocolates.