Review: 'Lend Me A Tenor' Will Make You Laugh Until It Hurts
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By David [email protected]
It is a side-splitting, hilarious comedy done by eight stupendous actors, under the direction of gifted director Mickey Fisher, and you and everyone else you take to go see it won’t forget it.
As the play progressed opening night Wednesday, it just got whackier and crazier until, by Act II, I was laughing non-stop at all the hi-jinx in this crowd-pleasing show. Just when you think it can’t top itself, the show does.
I loved every minute of it.
Set in 1934 at a hotel in Cleveland, Ohio, famous tenor Tito Merelli (David Schlumpf) is scheduled to perform in “Otello” in the lead role for the Cleveland Grand Opera House. Tito’s wife, Maria (Lauren Roesner), a very jealous woman, with good reason, ends up leaving Tito before the show goes on. Upset because she left, not feeling well and accidentally overdosing on his medicine, Tito passes out. He’s thought to be dead.
But the show must go, so the company’s general manager, Henry Saunders (Ben Maters) decides to secretly replace Tito. And as a result, Saunders’ assistant/gopher Max (Stephen Anthony) finds himself in a whole lot of nuttiness.
There’s also a lot of women after Tito, each of them throwing herself at the internationally famous singer – and the imposter. The bellhop (Nick Laughlin) is just as mad about the tenor.
But that’s all I’m telling you about the plot. Giving too much away would spoil all the twists and turns and madcap in the play, and you just really need to see this laugh-out-loud show.
There’s a lot of mistaken identity, comedic timing devices, innuendo and word play masterfully crafted into Ken Ludwig’s show.
The set design by the late Roy Hine also plays an important part in the show. There’s six doorways – all get used constantly – and four of them have doors that open and close more than a revolving door at a bank on pay day.
There’s a “bedroom” with a bed that plays an important part in the show, next to a closet and the bathroom. The old-time telephone in the main room of the hotel suite gets used quite a bit, and there’s a sofa and a seat in the same room where a lot of seduction and attempted seduction occurs.
Every prop, every room, every door is in the show for a purpose. Nothing seems to be “just decoration” or goes to waste. Now, that’s genius.
Only eight actors take the stage in “Lend Me a Tenor”, but they represent the best that Wagon Wheel has to offer.
Schlumpf as Tito is fantastico. He’s gone from Corny Collins in “Hairspray”, to The Duke in “Big River” and now this role in “Tenor”. But Tito is, by far, Schlumpf’s grandest role this season. He not only holds his Italian accent throughout the show, but, whatever his ancestry actually is, you believe he is the Italian tenor. In even his smallest gestures with his hands and his eyes, and the tone and emotion of his voice, Schlumpf has incredible talent as an actor.
Matching Schlumpf’s Italian fiery performance is Roesner as Maria. She is stellar, and no one could ask for any more in her portrayal as the jealous, angry, Italian wife. Never did she waver, never did she slip. Roesner is perfect and an amazing talent to behold in “Tenor”.
If Anthony didn’t catch your attention in any of the previous shows he’s been in at the Wagon Wheel this season, he will as Max in “Tenor”. Not only does Anthony play Max well, but he also plays Max pretending to be Tito well. Plus, he’s got some amazing vocal chops on him when he sings.
In a singing contest, I’m not sure who would win: Anthony singing as Max or Schlumpf singing as Tito. Both guys can belt it out as well as they can act.
Henry Saunders is the father of Maggie (Alex Finke), who Max wants to marry. However, Maggie wants to have a few flings first, and has to remind Max that she told him no when he proposed to her.
The role of Saunders requires the actor portraying him to get loud, mad and distressed. Maters does that perfectly. You watch Maters when he’s yelling as Saunders, and you can see his face turn bright red, his eyes bulge and his body shake. Maters has a fire inside him that just burns brighter on stage, especially in a role like Saunders. Over the past two seasons, I’ve watched Maters just get better and better with each performance, and he does exceptionally well in “Tenor”.
Audiences will remember Finke from her previous roles as Margy Frake in “State Fair” or Jane in “Tarzan”. They were good performances, but Finke tops them in “Tenor”.
In “Tenor”, Finke plays Maggie with a combination of rebelliousness and curiosity, but also heart and innocence. Maggie wants to try on the world, but her heart will always lead her back to love. She’s not an overly complex character, but Finke gives Maggie layers. Layers is what makes audiences care for a character.
Maggie wants Tito, but so does soprano Diana (Jennifer Dow) and opera company chairman Julia (Sophie Grimm).
Both Diana and Julia literally throw themselves at Tito. Diana wants him for what he can do for her “professional” career, while Julia just wants to get him naked.
For as long as I’ve been covering the Wagon Wheel, Dow has been one of my favorites. She gives all that jazz to her roles, and much heart. She can camp it up, or play the vixen. Her role in “Tenor” is no different. Dow is a Wagon Wheel Legend, proved once again by her sensational performance as Diana.
Dow also is the responsible party for all the great wigs audiences have seen on the Wagon Wheel stage this and last summer. Her work, and that of costume designer Stephen R. Hollenbeck, in “Tenor” really help set the mood and era for this awesome show.[[In-content Ad]]Grimm knows comedy. Her best roles at the Wagon Wheel have been those where she really gets to ham it up. She’s been the Lucille Ball of the Wagon Wheel the past two seasons. She doesn’t disappoint in “Tenor”.
As for Laughlin as the bellhop, he’s on top of his game. He was great as Huck Finn in “Big River”, and did well as Tarzan in that show, but I laughed the hardest watching him in “Tenor”. His performance is “A”-game material.
I’m told Fisher, as a director, is very collaborative. Whatever he did to get “Tenor” to be this gut-busting, it works well beyond what he thought he would end up with for a show. “Tenor” proves that Fisher has what it takes to be the Wagon Wheel’s closest thing to Mel Brooks.
My rating of “Tenor” (out of four): 4.
To order tickets or for more information, call the Wagon Wheel box office at 574-267-8041, or visit the website at wagonwheeltheatre.com
It is a side-splitting, hilarious comedy done by eight stupendous actors, under the direction of gifted director Mickey Fisher, and you and everyone else you take to go see it won’t forget it.
As the play progressed opening night Wednesday, it just got whackier and crazier until, by Act II, I was laughing non-stop at all the hi-jinx in this crowd-pleasing show. Just when you think it can’t top itself, the show does.
I loved every minute of it.
Set in 1934 at a hotel in Cleveland, Ohio, famous tenor Tito Merelli (David Schlumpf) is scheduled to perform in “Otello” in the lead role for the Cleveland Grand Opera House. Tito’s wife, Maria (Lauren Roesner), a very jealous woman, with good reason, ends up leaving Tito before the show goes on. Upset because she left, not feeling well and accidentally overdosing on his medicine, Tito passes out. He’s thought to be dead.
But the show must go, so the company’s general manager, Henry Saunders (Ben Maters) decides to secretly replace Tito. And as a result, Saunders’ assistant/gopher Max (Stephen Anthony) finds himself in a whole lot of nuttiness.
There’s also a lot of women after Tito, each of them throwing herself at the internationally famous singer – and the imposter. The bellhop (Nick Laughlin) is just as mad about the tenor.
But that’s all I’m telling you about the plot. Giving too much away would spoil all the twists and turns and madcap in the play, and you just really need to see this laugh-out-loud show.
There’s a lot of mistaken identity, comedic timing devices, innuendo and word play masterfully crafted into Ken Ludwig’s show.
The set design by the late Roy Hine also plays an important part in the show. There’s six doorways – all get used constantly – and four of them have doors that open and close more than a revolving door at a bank on pay day.
There’s a “bedroom” with a bed that plays an important part in the show, next to a closet and the bathroom. The old-time telephone in the main room of the hotel suite gets used quite a bit, and there’s a sofa and a seat in the same room where a lot of seduction and attempted seduction occurs.
Every prop, every room, every door is in the show for a purpose. Nothing seems to be “just decoration” or goes to waste. Now, that’s genius.
Only eight actors take the stage in “Lend Me a Tenor”, but they represent the best that Wagon Wheel has to offer.
Schlumpf as Tito is fantastico. He’s gone from Corny Collins in “Hairspray”, to The Duke in “Big River” and now this role in “Tenor”. But Tito is, by far, Schlumpf’s grandest role this season. He not only holds his Italian accent throughout the show, but, whatever his ancestry actually is, you believe he is the Italian tenor. In even his smallest gestures with his hands and his eyes, and the tone and emotion of his voice, Schlumpf has incredible talent as an actor.
Matching Schlumpf’s Italian fiery performance is Roesner as Maria. She is stellar, and no one could ask for any more in her portrayal as the jealous, angry, Italian wife. Never did she waver, never did she slip. Roesner is perfect and an amazing talent to behold in “Tenor”.
If Anthony didn’t catch your attention in any of the previous shows he’s been in at the Wagon Wheel this season, he will as Max in “Tenor”. Not only does Anthony play Max well, but he also plays Max pretending to be Tito well. Plus, he’s got some amazing vocal chops on him when he sings.
In a singing contest, I’m not sure who would win: Anthony singing as Max or Schlumpf singing as Tito. Both guys can belt it out as well as they can act.
Henry Saunders is the father of Maggie (Alex Finke), who Max wants to marry. However, Maggie wants to have a few flings first, and has to remind Max that she told him no when he proposed to her.
The role of Saunders requires the actor portraying him to get loud, mad and distressed. Maters does that perfectly. You watch Maters when he’s yelling as Saunders, and you can see his face turn bright red, his eyes bulge and his body shake. Maters has a fire inside him that just burns brighter on stage, especially in a role like Saunders. Over the past two seasons, I’ve watched Maters just get better and better with each performance, and he does exceptionally well in “Tenor”.
Audiences will remember Finke from her previous roles as Margy Frake in “State Fair” or Jane in “Tarzan”. They were good performances, but Finke tops them in “Tenor”.
In “Tenor”, Finke plays Maggie with a combination of rebelliousness and curiosity, but also heart and innocence. Maggie wants to try on the world, but her heart will always lead her back to love. She’s not an overly complex character, but Finke gives Maggie layers. Layers is what makes audiences care for a character.
Maggie wants Tito, but so does soprano Diana (Jennifer Dow) and opera company chairman Julia (Sophie Grimm).
Both Diana and Julia literally throw themselves at Tito. Diana wants him for what he can do for her “professional” career, while Julia just wants to get him naked.
For as long as I’ve been covering the Wagon Wheel, Dow has been one of my favorites. She gives all that jazz to her roles, and much heart. She can camp it up, or play the vixen. Her role in “Tenor” is no different. Dow is a Wagon Wheel Legend, proved once again by her sensational performance as Diana.
Dow also is the responsible party for all the great wigs audiences have seen on the Wagon Wheel stage this and last summer. Her work, and that of costume designer Stephen R. Hollenbeck, in “Tenor” really help set the mood and era for this awesome show.[[In-content Ad]]Grimm knows comedy. Her best roles at the Wagon Wheel have been those where she really gets to ham it up. She’s been the Lucille Ball of the Wagon Wheel the past two seasons. She doesn’t disappoint in “Tenor”.
As for Laughlin as the bellhop, he’s on top of his game. He was great as Huck Finn in “Big River”, and did well as Tarzan in that show, but I laughed the hardest watching him in “Tenor”. His performance is “A”-game material.
I’m told Fisher, as a director, is very collaborative. Whatever he did to get “Tenor” to be this gut-busting, it works well beyond what he thought he would end up with for a show. “Tenor” proves that Fisher has what it takes to be the Wagon Wheel’s closest thing to Mel Brooks.
My rating of “Tenor” (out of four): 4.
To order tickets or for more information, call the Wagon Wheel box office at 574-267-8041, or visit the website at wagonwheeltheatre.com
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