Lend Me a Tenor at Booth Tarkington Civic Theatre

Humor your funny bone with a delicious dose of pure, operatic nuttiness that will have everyone rolling in the aisles. In Ken Ludwig’s zany comedy LEND ME A TENOR, the Cleveland Grand Opera Company has secured the world-famous tenor “Il Stupendo” Tito Morelli, in his greatest role, Otello, for their 1934 gala season-opener. Unfortunately, due to well-intended but misguided meddling, “Il Stupendo” is given an overdose of tranquilizers, rendering him unable to perform. The local impresario, Saunders, frantically devises a solution that will avert a box office catastrophe; he persuades his assistant Max – an aspiring singer – to don Morelli’s costume and convince the audience he is in fact “Il Stupendo.” Max succeeds admirably, but the real star recovers and soon two Otellos are on the loose, resulting in mistaken identities, romantic entanglements, and fast-paced hilarity.