Photo Flash: First Look at La Mirada's LEND ME A TENOR

LA MIRADA THEATRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS & McCoy Rigby Entertainment are delighted to present the second show of its 2016-2017 season: Davis Gaines starring in the hilarious comedy LEND ME A TENOR, written by Ken Ludwig and directed by Art Manke. LEND ME A TENOR will preview on Friday, October 21, 2016 (with a press opening on Saturday, October 22) and run through Sunday, November 13, 2016 at La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts, 14900 La Mirada Blvd in La Mirada.

Love a madcap screwball farce set in the glorious '30s? Who doesn't!? Cue the belly laughs that rock the theatre for this high-octane, door-slamming comedy! When a fiery-tempered and world famous Italian tenor passes out and can't play "Otello," the high-strung opera impresario, his hapless assistant and a bevy of jealous, flirtatious and star struck wives, girlfriends and dowagers go into full-throttled mayhem. A sensation on Broadway, this nothing-but-funny knockout is guaranteed to leave audiences teary-eyed with laughter!

Art Manke (Director) is a nationally recognized director of classics, musicals and new work, whose recent productions include Peter and the Starcatcher at South Coast Repertory and Noel Coward's A Song At Twilight starring Bruce Davison and Sharon Lawrence at the Pasadena Playhouse. Other credits include work with the Denver Center Theatre Company, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Mark Taper Forum, Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, Seattle Repertory Theatre, Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, American Players Theatre, California Shakespeare Theatre, Santa Cruz Shakespeare and Artists Repertory Theatre, among others.

Mr. Manke is a co-founding artistic director of A Noise Within, L.A.'s acclaimed classical theatre company, where he oversaw more than fifty productions, statewide touring and educational programs for the first ten seasons (1991-2001).

He is a frequent instructor at universities and conservatories throughout the country, and directs for television. Originally from Chicago, Mr. Manke holds a B.F.A. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and an M.F.A. from The American Conservatory Theatre. He co-adapted the D. H. Lawrence classic, Women in Love, for the stage, and is the author of Pearl's in the House, a new musical celebrating the legendary Pearl Bailey. Up next: Amy Freed's The Monster Builder at South Coast Repertory.

Ken Ludwig (Playwright) has had 6 shows on Broadway and 7 in London's West End, and his plays and musicals have been performed in more than 30 countries in over 20 languages. His first play on Broadway, Lend Me A Tenor, which the Washington Post called "one of the classic comedies of the 20th century," won two Tony Awards and was nominated for seven. He has also won two Laurence Olivier Awards (England's highest theater honor), the Charles MacArthur Award, two Helen Hayes Awards, the Edgar Award for Best Mystery from The Mystery Writers of America, the SETC Distinguished Career Award, and the Edwin Forrest Award for Services to the American Theatre. His plays have been commissioned by the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Bristol Old Vic.

He has written 22 plays and musicals, including Crazy For You (5 years on Broadway and the West End, Tony and Olivier Award Winner for Best Musical), Moon Over Buffalo (Broadway and West End), The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (Broadway), Treasure Island (West End), Twentieth Century (Broadway), Leading Ladies, Shakespeare in Hollywood, The Game's Afoot, The Fox on the Fairway, The Three Musketeers and The Beaux' Stratagem. His most recent plays include Baskerville, A Comedy of Tenors, and Tiny Tim's Christmas Carol (2015 Helen Hayes Award nominee for Outstanding Play). His newest book, How To Teach Your Children Shakespeare, (winner of the Falstaff Award for Best Shakespeare Book of 2014) is published by Random House. His plays have starred Alec Baldwin, Carol Burnett, Lynn Redgrave, Mickey Rooney, HAl Holbrook, Dixie Carter, Tony Shalhoub, Anne Heche, Joan Collins, and Kristin Bell. His work is published by the Yale Review, and he is a Sallie B. Goodman Fellow of the McCarter Theatre, Princeton. He holds degrees from Harvard, where he studied music with Leonard Bernstein, Haverford College and Cambridge University.

Davis Gaines (Tito) performed the title role in Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera over 2,000 times during his run on Broadway, in Los Angeles, (LA's longest-running Phantom) and in San Francisco, (Bay Area Critics' Award for Best Actor). Other Broadway and National Tour credits include the world premiere of Lloyd Webber's Whistle Down the Wind, Raoul in The Phantom of the Opera, Cornelius Hackl in Hello, Dolly! (w/ Carol Channing), Camelot (w/Richard Burton) and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (w/Alexis Smith). Gaines' Off-Broadway appearances include Des McAnuff's The Death of Von Richthofen, Maury Yeston/Larry Gelbart's One Two Three Four Five, Stephen Sondheim's Assassins and Forbidden Broadway. His numerous Los Angeles area appearances include Man of La Mancha (Ovation Award), Kiss Me, Kate (Ovation Nomination), Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Spamalot, Les Miserables, The Music Man, SILENCE! The Musical (LA Weekly Award), Parade (Mark Taper Forum) and Sweeney Todd (Reprise). Film and television work includes Warlock: The Armageddon, Desperate Housewives, Charmed, Chicago Hope, Veronica's Closet, Bodies of Evidence and Murder, She Wrote. Additionally, Gaines has sung for five U.S. Presidents and his voice can be heard over 30 cast recordings and compilation recordings.

The Cast for LEND ME A TENOR also features (in alphabetical order): J. Paul Boehmer as Saunders, Kelley Dorney as Maggie, Colette Kilroy as Julia, Catherine LeFrere as Maria, John Shartzer as Max, Jeff Skowron as the Bellhop and Leslie Stevens as Diana.

The Design Team for LEND ME A TENOR is as follows: Scenic Design by Tom Buderwitz; Lighting Design by Jared Sayeg; Sound Design and Musical Direction by Steven Cahill; Costume Design by David Kay Mickelsen; Properties Design by Terry Hanrahan; Hair/Make-Up/Wig Design by Katie McCoy. Casting is by Julia Flores, and the Production Stage Manager is Julie Haber.

LEND ME A TENOR will preview on Friday, October 21, 2016 and run through Sunday, November 13, 2016 at La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts, 14900 La Mirada Blvd in La Mirada.

Performances are 7:30pm on Wednesdays & Thursdays; 8pm on Fridays; 2pm and 8pm on Saturdays; and 2pm on Sundays. There will be no performances on Saturday, October 22 at 2pm. There will be an ASL interpreted performance on Saturday, November 12 at 2pm. Talkbacks with the cast and creative team will be on Wednesday, October 26 and Wednesday, November 9.

Tickets range from $20 - $70 and can be purchased at La Mirada Theatre's website, www.lamiradatheatre.com or by calling the La Mirada Theatre Box Office at (562) 944-9801 or (714) 994-6310. Student, Senior, Child and group discounts are available.

LA MIRADA THEATRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS is located at 14900 La Mirada Boulevard in La Mirada, near the intersection of Rosecrans Avenue where the 91 and 5 freeways meet. Parking is free.

Winner of the L.A. Stage Alliance OVATION AWARD for 2012-2013 "Best Season of the Year," LA MIRADA THEATRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS, now in its fourth decade, has been hailed by the Los Angeles Times as "one of the best Broadway-style houses in Southern California." This beautiful state-of-the-Art Theatre has been producing quality productions for its Southern California audiences since 1977. The theatre has produced several national tours and is the recipient of many accolades including Ovation and Emmy Awards and Tony Award nominations. The theatre is located at 14900 La Mirada Boulevard in La Mirada, California, near the intersection of Rosecrans Avenue. Parking is theatre-adjacent and free. For further information call 562-944-9801 or visit www.lamiradatheatre.com

Celebrating its 23rd Anniversary season at La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts, McCoy Rigby Entertainment (MRE), is one of the world's premier theatrical production companies. Headed by Executive Producers Tom McCoy and Cathy Rigby, MRE has produced over one hundred musicals, plays, and concerts featuring some of the biggest stars in the industry today.

In addition, MRE has launched several Emmy Award-winning and Tony Award-nominated Broadway, international, and national touring productions including: Peter Pan, Seussical the Musical, and Annie Get Your Gun, all starring Cathy Rigby; Frank Wildhorn's Jekyll and Hyde starring American Idol contender and Tony Award nominee Constantine Maroulis along with Grammy Award nominee and R&B superstar Deborah Cox; Jesus Christ Superstar starring Carl Anderson and Sebastian Bach; Camelot starring Michael York and Lou Diamond Phillips and Happy Days written by Gary Marshall and Paul Williams. Peter Pan starring Cathy Rigby has made four stops on Broadway and received four Tony Award nominations including Best Revival of a Musical and Best Actress in a Musical. The A&E TV network premiere of "Peter Pan," starring Cathy Rigby, received one Emmy Award and four Emmy Award nominations. MRE's other credits include numerous award-winning documentaries and stadium events.

To post a comment, you must register and login.