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 script by Mr. Ludwig—who also wrote Crazy for You and Moon Over Buffalo—is carefully and cleverly constructed. But at two and a half hours, including intermission, it’s also too long, especially in the latter half of the first act, when the scenes, and the slapstick, seem to drag on. Mr. Tucci makes his debut as a stage director with this show, and he does excellent work with the comedy, especially the well-choreographed physical bits—it’s not every day that you see audience members literally throwing their heads back and guffawing, as they did, frequently, at the performance I attended. But, still, there’s that pacing problem: The show would be better if Mr. Tucci kept it moving faster, perhaps by trimming some of the script.
Ken Ludwig's hotel suite farce, making comic fodder out of what happens when a 1934 Cleveland opera company arranges for a world famous Italian star to play the title role in a one-night gala performance of Otello, only to have him suddenly unable to perform minutes before curtain, may not be the most uproarious of entertainments, but it's certainly good for a decent stream of laughs when the pacing crackles and the door slamming is well-timed. Tucci, however, directs the piece as a comedy, seeming to want the laughs to come from a realistic exploration of the characters. And, of course, realistic explorations are what kills farce. While he does come up with some appropriately nutty visuals, the production suffers from too much thinking time.
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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