Set in the 1930s, Lend Me a Tenor is a madcap screwball comedy that takes place when Tito Merelli, the fiery-tempered and world famous Italian superstar, arrives in Cleveland, Ohio to make his debut with the local opera and promptly goes missing. As Saunders, the show's presenter, conspires to cover for Tito’s absence, placate his hot-blooded wife, and distract his most passionate fans, chaos on a truly operatic level ensues.
The premise of the fun is that all white people in blackface look alike. Justin Bartha gets to sing and swagger; the subtle Anthony LaPaglia gets to play dumb; Jan Maxwell gets to behave as outrageously as Lady Gaga; and the charming Tony Shalhoub, the impresario between a rock and a hard place, gets to do everything else, including spit wax fruit at the audience and twice try to strangle the Italian star he thinks has died on him. Unlike the modern masters of the form, Georges Feydeau and Joe Orton, Ludwig never raises the characters’ level of confusion or aggression to the point of breakdown. The shriek of madness, when it finally comes in Ludwig’s fun machine, gets laughs, but it’s unearned by the writing.
Ken Ludwig’s quarter-century old “Lend Me a Tenor” is revived on Broadway with a deft cast including Tony Shalhoub, Anthony LaPaglia and Jan Maxwell, under the direction of that expert comedian Stanley Tucci. And as before, it entertains.
1989 | Broadway |
Original Broadway Production Broadway |
2010 | Broadway |
Broadway Revival Broadway |
Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
---|---|---|---|
2010 | BroadwayWorld Awards | Best Direction of a Play | Stanley Tucci |
2010 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Actress in a Play | Jan Maxwell |
2010 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Costume Design | Martin Pakledinaz |
2010 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play | Jan Maxwell |
2010 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Play | 0 |
2010 | The Hewes Awards | Costume Design | Martin Pakledinaz |
2010 | Tony Awards | Best Costume Design of a Play | Martin Pakledinaz |
2010 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play | Jan Maxwell |
2010 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | Broadway Across America |
2010 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | The Shubert Organization |
2010 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | Wendy Federman/Jamie deRoy/Richard Winkler |
2010 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | Lisa Cartwright |
2010 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | Spring Sirkin |
2010 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | Scott and Brian Zeilinger |
2010 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | Olympus Theatricals |
2010 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | Rodney Rigby |
2010 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | Carl Moellenberg |
2010 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | Stuart Thompson |
2010 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | The Araca Group |
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