Winner of 3 Tony Awards and 4 Drama Desk Awards, Lend Me A Tenor is set in 1934 as Henry Saunders, the General Manager of the Cleveland Grand Opera Company, is ready to welcome world-famous singer Tito Merelli for his starring role in Pagliacci.
Alas, Tito arrives late, his tempestuous wife Maria has a fit of jealousy, and it remains to be seen whether Saunders’ mousy but determined assistant Max can save the day.
A sensation on Broadway and in London's West End, where The London Times called it “a masterpiece,” this madcap, screwball comedy starred Tony Shaloub, Justin Bartha and Anthony LaPaglia in its latest Broadway revival.
Recent News and Reviews
Reviews
"The most howlingly funny laugh machine to hit Broadway in years!”
- David Cote, Time Out New York
Tony Shalhoub as Saunders and Brooke Adams as Julia in Lend Me a Tenor.
Jane Summerhays and J. Smith-Cameron Photo: Martha Swope
Philip Bosco as Saunders - Jane Connell as Julia - Tovah Feldshuh as Maria Photo: Martha Swope
Lend Me A Tenor at the Theater in der Josefstadt in Vienna, Austria starring Otto Schenk
AWARDS
2 Tony Awards - for Best Direction of a Play and Best Actor in a Play (Philip Bosco)
5 Tony Award Nominations including Best Play
3 Outer Critics Circle Awards - for Best Set, Best Costume and Best Lighting Design
4 Drama Desk Awards - for Outstanding Actor in a play (Philip Bosco), Best Costume Design, Best Director and Outstanding Featured Actress in a play (Tovah Feldshuh)
2 Drama Desk Award Nominations
Oliver Award for Comedy of the Year (nominee)
“A remarkable piece of theatre … a masterpiece … Author Ken Ludwig has verve, a sound grasp of plot mechanics and a rare ability to couple high art with low comedy.”
- The London Times
“One of two great farces by a living writer.”
- The New York Times
"Ken Ludwig's 1989 Tony-winning comedy is one of only two classic farces by a living playwright, the other being Michael Frayn's frenetic "Noises Off"”
- Daily News
“The most inventive, original farce in a long time …”
- Punch
“A furiously paced comedy with more than a touch of the Marx brothers … A marvelous combination of wonderful farcical moments and funny lines.”
- Time Out
“Hilariously over the top.”
- The Manchester Guardian
“Fills the theatre with the sound of laughter.”
- The (London) Sunday Express
“Free flowing honest-to-goodness unforced farce.”
- New York Magazine
“It’s hilarious … The funniest show on Broadway.”
- WNEW
"A rollercoaster of fun for everybody in the building...a solid, constantly accelerating snowball of a comedy!"
- Phoenix News Times
“The Big Winner!”
- New York Daily News
"Non stop laughter."
- Variety
"Uproarious! Hysterical!"
- USA Today
"A rib tickling comedy."
- The New York Post
"Screamingly funny!"
- CBS Radio
"[A] three-ring circus of chaos involving celebrity worship, backstage shenanigans and mistaken identities."
- Desert News
"One of the funniest comedies ever written. Ken Ludwig has written a crackpot comedy worthy of comic masters Preston Sturges, Billy Wilder or Howard Hawks."
- Glendale Theater Examiner
Original Cast and Creative Team
Ken Ludwig’s Lend Me A Tenor was first presented at the American Stage Festival, Milford, New Hampshire on August 1, 1985, with the following cast:
MAX - Walter Bobbie; MAGGIE - Christine Rose; SAUNDERS - George Ede; TITO - Ronald Holgate; MARIA - Judith Roberts; BELLHOP - Joe Palmieri; DIANA - Linda Lee Johnson; JULIA - Bella Jarrett
Directed by Larry Carpenter; Set Design by John Falabella; Costume Design by David Murin; Lighting by John Gisondi
The play was subsequently presented by Andrew Lloyd Webber for The Really Useful Company at the Globe Theatre, London on March 6, 1986 with the following cast:
MAX - Denis Lawson; MAGGIE - Jan Francis; SAUNDERS - John Barron; TITO - Ronald Holgate; MARIA - Anna Nocholas; BELLHOP - Edward Hibbert; DIANA - Gwendolyn Humble; JULIA - Josephine Blake
Directed by David Gilmore; Designed by Terry Parsons; Lighting by Michael Northen
The play was first presented in New York City on March 2, 1989 at the Royale Theater by Martin Starger and The Really Useful Theater Company with the following cast:
MAX - Victor Garber; MAGGIE - J. Smith-Cameron; SAUNDERS - Philip Bosco; TITO - Ron Holgate; MARIA - Tovah Feldshuh; BELLHOP - Jeff Brooks; DIANA - Caroline Lagerfelt; JULIA - Jane Connell
Directed by Jerry Zaks; Set Design by Tony Walton; Costume Design by William Ivey Long; Lighting by Paul Gallo; Sound Design by Aural Fixation
The play opened in a revival in New York City on April 4, 2010 at the Music Box Theater produced by The Araca Group, Stuart Thompson, Carl Moellenberg, Rodney Rigby, Olympus Theatricals, Broadway Across America and The Shubert Organization (Philip J. Smith: Chairman; Robert E. Wankel: President) with the following cast:
MAX - Justin Bartha; MAGGIE - Mary Catherine Garrison; SAUNDERS - Tony Shalhoub; TITO - Anthony LaPaglia; MARIA - Jan Maxwell; BELLHOP - Jay Klaitz; DIANA - Jennifer Laura Thompson; JULIA - Brooke Adams
Directed by Stanley Tucci; Set Design by John Lee Beatty; Costume Design by Martin Pakledinaz; Lighting by Kenneth Posner; Sound Design by Peter Hylenski; Hair and Wig Design by Paul Huntley; Make-Up Design by Joe Dulude, II; Associate Scenic Design: Kacie Hultgren; Associate Costume Design: Sarah Sophia Lidz; Associate Lighting Design: Aaron Spivey; Associate Sound Design: Keith Caggiano