LEND ME A TENOR Ken Ludwig's furiously paced comedy with more than a touch of the Marx brothers... Directed by Chris Robertson, produced by Guy Johnson, performed 11th, 12th and 13th June 2009. Synopisis: Set in 1934, the farce revolves around renowned tenor Tito Merelli, known to his fans as "Il Stupendo", who is scheduled to sing the lead in Otello, produced as a gala fundraiser for the Cleveland Opera Company. 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 a “Dear John” letter. The distraught Merelli is accidentally given a double dose of tranquilizers to calm him and passes out. Saunders, the company's General Manager, is determined the show must go on (for his own financial sake), so he asks his assistant Max to impersonate the opera star. Max puts on the blackface makeup required for the role of Otello, and his disguise succeeds admirably - until Merelli, also in blackface, wakes up and heads for the stage. What follows is a chain-reaction of mistaken identity, plot twists, double entendres, innuendos and constant entrances and exits through many doors.

Cast: Max Darren Cummins Maggie Sian Kenyon Saunders Gordon Thomson Tito Guy Johnson Julia Paula Benson Diana Philipa Michel-Finch Maria Emily Fairhead Bellhop Aidan Godwin   Production Team: Director Chris Robertson Producer Bernard Godwin Designer Gordon Thomson Bar John and Maggie Savill Box Office Guy Johnson Costumes Lisa Mellows Costumes supplied by Elizabeth Callow, Greta Creswell & Magdalene Players Wardrobe Front of House Manager Jane Cooper Hair stylist Alison Squires Lighting and Sound Bernard Godwin, Jim Lee Make up Lucy Comlay Production Photographs Nigel Gray Proramme and Poster design Edward B Groinn Prompt Eddie Newton Publicity Pat Wilson, Natalie Charles Set Built and Painted by Nigel Gray with Natalie Charles, David Cooper, Mathew Cooper, Claire Walshe, Rosanne Wicks and members of the company Stage Manager Nick Comlay

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