Bristol Riverside Theatre to Present A COMEDY OF TENORS

Bristol Riverside Theatre (120 Radcliffe Street) will bring the laughter to Bucks County with a hilarious follow-up to Ken Ludwig's Lend Me A Tenor. One hotel suite, three tenors, two wives, three girlfriends, and a soccer stadium filled with screaming fans. What could possibly go wrong? A Comedy of Tenors, Ludwig's hilarious farce, runs March 8-March 27. The show opens Thursday, March 10. Tickets start at $43, with discounts available for students and military. A limited number of $10 tickets are available for Bristol Township residents courtesy of Flager & Associates, PC. As always, Bristol Borough residents can receive $5 tickets for preview performances. For this show, audience members must show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test (PCR or Antigen) taken within 48 hours of the performance start time. You must also wear a mask. For tickets and health protocols, visit brtstage.org or call 215-785-0100.

"This show is intense, it's high stakes, and it's energetic," said BRT Producing Director Ken Kaissar. "It's big and broad, but it can't tip into buffoonery. These are real people fighting for their lives. Our mission hinges on three words - laugh, think, feel. This season was designed to ensure a well rounded experience of some plays that send you home deep in thought, some plays that give you all the feels, and now it's time for one that'll make your cheeks hurt and sides ache with laughter."

It's 1930s Paris and the stage is set for the concert of the century-as long as producer Henry Saunders can keep the amorous Italian superstar Tito Merelli and his hot-blooded wife Maria from causing runaway chaos. Filled with characters from Ken Ludwig's famous Lend Me A Tenor, this new addition to the Ludwig canon is an uproarious ride full of mistaken identities, blissful romance and madcap delight. Get ready for big laughs from the pen of one of America's most prolific and successful comedy writers. The "Concert of the Century" is just hours away, there's a stadium filled with screaming fans, but the three tenors have other concerns. What ensues is a whirlwind of misunderstandings, mistaken identity, and unabashed hilarity. "Laugh after laugh greets one improbable scene after another. Ludwig knows no ridiculous limits," said BroadwayWorld.com.

BRT Producing Director Amy Kaissar directs this hilarious show. The last show she directed at BRT was the audience favorite The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. The cast of A Comedy of Tenors includes Jef Canter as Tito and Barbara McCulloh as Maria. Rounding out the cast is: Jim Shankman as Saunders, Benjamin Robert Lurye as Maz, Oakley Boycott as Racon, Megan McDermott as Mimi and Michael Padgett as Carlo. Most of the cast are making their BRT debuts. BRT Favorites Barbara McCulloh and Megan McDermott return. McCulloh has appeared at BRT in Defiance, Death Trap, Baby, Blithe Spirit, and The Skin of Our Teeth, among others. McDermott is a bit of a resident comedienne at BRT having left audiences roaring in Laughter on the 23rd Floor.

"This cast is tremendous. They are hilarious, of course," said Amy Kaissar. "Then they also have to sing opera and three of them have to be tenors. It takes a lot of training to be a great comedic actor. As a great actor once said, 'Dying is easy. Comedy is hard.' And it takes a lot of training to really sing opera. There aren't that many people out there who can really do both, but we found them! It's a great cast. I can't wait for you to see them."

Jason Simms returns to BRT after designing the set for Cabaret in 2020 as the set designer for this farce. Natalie Robin is the Lighting Designer. Michael Keck returns to BRT in his third show in a row as the Sound Designer. BRT Resident costume designer Linda Bee Stockton is designing the costumes for this show. Michele Begley is the Production Stage Manager.

"We are just going to make this show as hilarious as possible," said Amy. "We made sure we could find comedians who can really sing opera. I find that the comedy works better when all the characters are believable. We have a very dynamic cast, and this show should really be a belly-ache-er."

Honorary Producers for A Comedy of Tenors are Bill and Linda Engle and Ernest Schirmer and Cynthia Gilbert-Schirmer. Ken Ludwig's A Comedy of Tenors is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc. www.concordtheatricals.com.

Tickets to A Comedy of Tenors start at $43, with discounts available for students and military. The show runs March 8-March 27. Tickets are available at brtstage.org or at 215-785-0100.

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