Kentwood Players presents the 1989 Tony Award-winning comedy/farce "Lend Me a Tenor" by Ken Ludwig from Friday, July 12 to Saturday, August 17, 2013 for a six-week run on Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm with Sunday matinees at 2pm at the Westchester Playhouse, located at 8301 Hindry Avenue, Westchester, CA 90045. The production is directed by Gail Bernardi and produced by Susan Goldman Weisbarth by special arrangement with Samuel French, Inc.
"Lend Me a Tenor" is a hilarious comedy/farce taking place in a Cleveland, Ohio hotel suite in 1934. The Cleveland Opera Company has booked the renowned tenor Tito Merelli, known to his fans as "Il Stupendo," to sing the lead in Otello at their gala fundraiser. Unfortunately, even before the star leaves his hotel room, everything begins to unravel. Chaos ensues when Merelli's wife, who has mistaken an autograph-seeker hidden in his closet for a secret lover, leaves him and the distraught tenor accidentally is given a double dose of tranquilizers to calm him and passes out. Saunders, the opera company's General Manager, is determined that the show will go on, so he asks his assistant Max to impersonate the opera star. What follows is a chain-reaction of mistaken identity, plot twists, farcical double entendres, innuendos, and constant entrances and exits through many doors leading from one comical situation to another!
Featured in the cast are Samantha Barrios, Rachel Boller, Harold Dershimer, Matt Landig, Maria Pavone, Scot Renfro, Susan Goldman Weisbarth, and Michael Willens.
Tickets are $18.00 with a $2.00 discount for seniors, students, servicemen, and Metro riders who present their same day ticket or monthly pass when purchasing full price tickets at the box office. To purchase tickets by phone, please call (310) 645-5156 during box office hours, Wednesday through Saturday from 4:00-7:00pm. Visa, MasterCard, and American Express accepted, with a $1.50 convenience fee added per ticket charged to a credit card. You may also purchase tickets online at www.kentwoodplayers.org. For group ticket sales, please call the box office or Lori Marple-Pereslete at (310) 216-9094.
For more information about Kentwood Players including our Current Productions, upcoming auditions, and our Kentwood Kids Children's Theatre classes and productions, please visit the Kentwood Players website at www.kentwoodplayers.org. You can also find information on Kentwood Players on Facebook and Twitter.
To meet the "Lend Me a Tenor" production team and learn more about Kentwood Players and what goes on at the Westchester Playhouse, the public is invited to attend our general membership meetings, which are free and held on the third Wednesday of each month at 7:30pm at the Westchester Playhouse, located two blocks west of the San Diego Freeway and two blocks north of Manchester at 8301 Hindry Avenue in Westchester, CA 90045.
Photos by Shari Barrett
Saunders welcomes Maria and Tito to their suite. (from left: Maria Pavone, Scot Renfro, Matt Landig, Harold Dershimer)
"I told you I would be here," Diana teases Tito. (from left: Scot Renfro, Rachel Boller)
"Do you hear anything," Maggie asks Julia as the Bellhop strains to hear too! (from left: Michael Willens, Samantha Barrios, Susan Goldman Weisbarth)
Help! I'm getting wrinkled! (from left: Susan Goldman Weisbarth, Michael Willens, Harold Dershimer, Samantha Barrios)
"How do I look," Julia asks Saunders. (from left: Harold Dershimer, Susan Goldman Weisbarth)
Tito bemoans his wife's "Jealousy! Jealousy! Jealousy!" (from left: Scot Renfro, Harold Dershimer, Matt Landig, Maria Pavone)
Diana flirts with Max, asking him "Has anyone ever told you how cute you are?" (from left: Rachel Boller, Matt Landig)
Max asks Maggie, "Do you hear bells?" (from left: Samantha Barrios, Matt Landig)
Tito tells Max, "You gotta relax." (from left: Scot Renfro, Matt Landig)
Videos