It is no wonder that Lend me a Tenor won a Tony award for best Play when it was on Broadway in 1989. It is truly hilarious! Any director or those involved in theatre can appreciate the nightmare that could unfold with a filled Opera house of enthusiastic patrons and not having the lead tenor there to sing the role. Especially when the success of the opera company depends on the tenor’s performance!

Ken Ludwig’s hit farce revolves around the Cleveland Opera Company Production of Othello. Tito Merelli (Dave Rivas), a famous Italian tenor, is making his American debut in the title role. Dave Rivas does a fantastic job, playing the role with great zeal and gusto! The plot unfolds when the tenor's fiery-tempered wife, Maria (Christina Christianson), finds an autograph seeker in the hotel suite’s closet, writes a good-bye note, grabs her fur and leaves. This starts a chain-reaction of hilarious confusion. The set designer created great flow of the play as the actors whisk through several doors creating added confusion which becomes screamingly funny.

Director Bob Christianson certainly saw the value in this well constructed script, and I found myself laughing at all the silly things that the characters of the play portrayed so well! Tito, who has a weakness for wine and women, is swooped up by Maggie (Maria Santilena ) whose wonderful seduction attempts towards Tito are foiled when the stunning Diana (Jennifer Campbell Matlock), Tito’s Opera partner, adds to the confusion as Tito tries to figure out what profession she really is in. Saunders (Jess Lawrence) and Max (David A. Ainsworth) are brilliant at attempting to maintain composure as they try to figure out how to get a tenor for the performance and keep the Opera house from ruin! The bellhop (Kevin J. Mc Closkey) is really funny as he goes about with his room service duties and is enamored with the fact that a famous tenor is at the hotel. The play is so entertaining, and the pictures on the web site fabulously capture some of the great scenes! Julia (Jeanne Danis, whose first appearance at the playhouse was in 1958!), the Opera Guild Chair, charmingly tries to get Tito to come down to the post-production reception after the successful evening. Tito at this point is exasperated, and when his wife walks back into the hotel suite he is overjoyed, making a hasty departure while planning a recovery vacation in Greece!

The City has plans to level the Coronado Playhouse to make way for a Community Center which will house a small theatre. I urge you to see one of the final performances at this unique little theatre with so much character. Besides this show will have you laughing non-stop with its great cast, and laughter is the best medicine, so they say!

Sylvia Bendelstein
J*Company Youth Theatre, Committee Chair / Member of the SDCJC

~ Cast ~

 Max-David A. Ainsworth

 Maggie- Maria Santilena

 Saunders-Jeff Lawrence

 Tito- Dave Rivas

 Maria-Christina Christianson

 Bellhop-Kevin J. McCloskey

 Diana-Jennifer Campbell Matlock

 Julia-Jeanne Danis

 Production Team

Director-Bob Christiansen