Lend Me a Tenor at Music Box Theatre
The opening of the revival for Ken Ludwig’s comedy “Lend Me a Tenor” was on April 4 at the Music Box Theatre.
The play is set in a Cleveland hotel in 1934 and is the story of an Italian opera star, Tito Merelli. Tito is played by Anthony LaPaglia with Jan Maxwell portraying the jealous wife, Maria. The opera house manager Saunders is played by Tony Shalhoub, being the one individual that must keep all in order and even find a stand in when Tito is not available on Opening Night. Others in the play include Mary Catherine Garrison, Jennifer Laura Thompson, Jay Klaitz, Brooke Adams, and Justin Bartha.
Lend Me a Tenor debuted in London’s West End and after three years made it to Broadway in 1989. The play has received eight Tony Award nominations and received one award for Best Actor. This amazing performance has been translated into sixteen languages and has been seen on stages in twenty-five countries over the last twenty years.
The Music Box Theatre began three weeks of previews starting on March 12 with the theatre being at around 75% capacity each night. Tickets range from $86 to $130 and premium seat prices are around $192 to S250. The Broadway League posted gross tickets sales the week ending March 28 were at $279,255.
Critic Reviews of Lend Me a Tenor include:
New York Times Charles Isherwood – “…the heady ether of prime farce never materializes in this labor-intensive but laugh-deficient evening…”
Variety Marilyn Stasio – “It’s the classic farce situation — disaster, denial, recovery, complication, catastrophe — and it’s a joy to watch Shalhoub attack it.”
USA Today Elysa Gardner “…director Stanley Tucci has clearly instructed his ensemble to abandon all inhibitions in the pursuit of a goofy good time.”
New York Daily News Joe Dziemianowicz ” Speed, finesse and keen comic chops are key ingredients to any farce. Happily, they’re all in ample supply in director Stanley Tucci’s antic revival of “Lend Me a Tenor.”
