Lend Me a Tenor

by Ken Ludwig

Comedy / 4m, 4f / Int. Nominee! Best Revival of a Play - 2010 Tony(R) Awards! This night in September of 1934 is the biggest in the history of the Cleveland Grand Opera Company world famous tenor Tito Morelli is to perform Otello, his greatest role, at the gala season opener. Saunders, the General Manager, hopes this will put Cleveland on the operatic map. Morelli is late; when he finally sweeps in it is too late to rehearse with the company. Through a hilarious series of mishaps, Il Stupendo

Genres: Plays, Theatre, Drama, Fiction, Comedy, Humor, School

Paperback

First published November 1, 1986

About the author

KEN LUDWIG is an internationally-acclaimed playwright whose work has been performed in more than 30 countries in over 20 languages. He has had 6 shows on Broadway and 6 in the West End. He has won two Laurence Olivier Awards, two Helen Hayes Awards, the Edgar Award, the SETC Distinguished Career Award, the Edwin Forrest Award for Services to the Theatre and he is a McCarter/Sallie B. Goodman Fellow. His plays have been commissioned by the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Bristol Old Vic. His first play on Broadway, Lend Me A Tenor, won three Tony Awards and the New York Times called it "one of the two great farces by a living writer." His other best-known Broadway and West End shows include Crazy For You (5 years on Broadway, Tony Award Winner for Best Musical), Moon Over Buffalo, Leading Ladies, Twentieth Century, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, The Game’s Afoot, The Fox on the Fairway, Midsummer/Jersey, The Three Musketeers, Treasure Island and The Beaux’ Stratagem. 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 book, How To Teach Your Children Shakespeare, was published in June 2013 by Random House, and his work has been published by the Yale Review. He has degrees from Harvard, where he studied music with Leonard Bernstein, Haverford College and Cambridge University. For more information, please visit www.kenludwig.com

Reviews

[Sapphire Detective · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first read this play years ago, after stumbling upon it by means I'm not entirely sure. I loved it then, laughed a lot, and still love it now. The only reason this doesn't get the full five stars is because the whole conceit of the mistaken identity revolves around a practice that has soured over time. I believe some operas still do use blackface when performing operas with black characters, such as Verdi's Otello which features at the center of this play (though upon research it thankfully seems the majority don't!) but it doesn't make it any better. So, obligatory knock off a star for that. For a while, since I've wanted to do an adaptation of this play myself at some point, I've considered switching the main opera to Leoncavallo's Pagliacci, since that is similarly make-upped role to obscure identity, but that remains to be seen I suppose.

My rating: 4.5/5 (rounded down)
Would I own/re-read?: Probably!
TW: Adultery, Alcoholism, Apparent Suicide, Blackface, Womanizing.
Does the animal die?: No animals are harmed in the Lending of a Tenor.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hilarious.

No idea why I haven’t read this play sooner, as it checks just about every comedic box I enjoy: sight gags, mistaken identity, unbridled joy, and an embrace of the ridiculous even as it hews to a logical story progression.

In 1930s Cleveland, Tito Merelli, one of the opera world’s preeminent stars, arrives in town to perform in Othello. When he dies, a young assistant is enlisted to pretend to be Tito in the gala performance. Easy to see why the play has been so popular. Recommended.

[Christine Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Farce That Delivers, With Precision and Charm

Ken Ludwig’s Lend Me a Tenor is a tightly constructed farce set in a Cleveland hotel suite in 1934. The Cleveland Grand Opera Company is preparing for a one-night-only performance of Pagliacci, starring world-famous Italian tenor Tito Merelli. When Tito arrives late, takes a double dose of tranquilizers, and is mistakenly presumed dead, chaos erupts.

Max, the company’s underappreciated factotum and aspiring tenor, dons the costume and steps into the role. What follows is a cascade of mistaken identities, romantic entanglements, and operatic absurdity.

Max’s arc isn’t about discovering his voice—he was always a tenor—but about stepping into visibility. The transformation is satisfying and well-earned. The text is lean, the setups are clean, and the payoff is generous. As for the romantic maneuvering? Let’s just say it’s not dated. It’s familiar.

[p · Rating 5 out of 5]

While it may be just another play with mistaken identities, it is done superbly well. I almost gave it four stars, because I felt like it could have been 20 pages longer and been more intense in parts, but it was probably wise for the writer to keep it short and sweet.

Act 1 was a little slow in building, but it still keeps your interest. It definitely set up for a comedic Act 2, where I was laughing out loud for most of it.

As for characters - Max and Tito are done really well. Max experiences significant growth, although much of it happens off-stage. The two love-interests are done okay, although one seems to be a mirror of the other.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

It isn't every play - even comedies - that can make you laugh out loud just reading them on your couch. But "Lend Me a Tenor" can. It's fiercely funny with truly clever turns of the plot. Now, not every joke lands quite right (possibly a side effect of time). And there are moments that come off less as farcical and more as squeamish (some of Max's tricks to take advantage of his mistaken identity, particularly). But on the whole, this is a fantastic play, filled with a mad-cap cast of characters and an energy that carries your through the plot so fast that you hardly have time to do anything but laugh...and gasp at the surprises.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Had a read-through for this play, and finally experienced the entire script. The cast had to stop at moments for we were laughing too much!!
There are a few characters that aren't as flushed out as others in the dialogue, but they have a lot of behind-the-scenes potential.
In order to be a success, this show will rely heavily on pacing of blocking(especially entrances and exits) and comedic timing!

[Taylor Hudson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The beauty of the farce lies in the difficult technicality of precise door slams and barely missed connections - requiring performers who not only have great comic timing but who can stay in character and keep on track while doing a full sprint through two demanding acts. A supersonic pace, mistaken identity, and a cast of characters in various states of confusion and undress make this one of the most memorable and crowd-pleasing farces ever.

[Alyse · Rating 5 out of 5]

The one thing about getting a lot of callbacks is you get to read a lot of plays, quickly. I just read Lend Me A Tenor and loved it. The Character of Maggie is wonderful.

Set in 1939 Clevelad, a famous opera tenor is coming for a one-night performance. Farce ensues. But farce with real heart. Maggie is the sort of saucy ingénue I am ready to play. Wish me luck - callback is tomorrow.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

A hilarious farce of a play involving opera, marriage, young love and a scheming soprano. What's not to love about it? If possible, see it performed.

[Gabie (OwlEyesReviews) · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the better play's I have read for school :)

[Samantha Glasser · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you ever get a chance to see this performed do it. It is a laugh-a-minute filled it comedic mix-ups, mistaken identities, impersonations, and general teasing about opera.

[Traci · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fast paced, funny, smart. Very enjoyable.

[Matt Chan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hilarious farce, good combination of mistaken identity, physical slapstick, larger than life characters; think "Noises Off". However, this play didn't particularly age well; there's a clear reference to black face because the characters in the play are trying to put on the opera "Otello", in which the titular character is a "Moor" (generally interpreted to be black). But historically (and problematically) they have had white singers portray Otello in black makeup, which is what happens in this play. Would make performance very problematic this day and age; all they really had to do is pick another Verdi opera. Still, it's well written and very funny.

[Jeremy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am glad this edition does NOT contain the original blackface subplot, but ALSO I am horrified to discover that there ever was one!!! The (thankfully) non-racist version is a diverting farce, with mistaken identities, and "It's a-me, a-Mario" level Italian accents. It seems like a lot of the humour comes out in the physicality/slaptick onstage, although some of the dialogue is fun.

I am a bit surprised our local theatre company is putting this show on in the spring, as amusing as the play can be, it feels a bit outdated.

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lend me a tenor is a Hilarious slapstick comedy, the whole story revolves around Tito Merelli who’s tardiness causes many hijinks to ensue. The jokes are mostly funny and land well, however some are a bit dated. As with most slapstick the main comic focus is on yelling and slamming doors, lend me a tenor is no different and follows most conventions associated with slapstick which can get repetitive but it manages to stay fresh and enjoyable.

[Scott Hendricks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall, this was a fun script to read. I could imagine it being played out on stage…..however the downside of the story is one of the characters had to be black faced…which just didn’t feel right. I feel like the story could still happen if there wasn’t black face. Are there versions out there that don’t have black face?

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very funny farce about two opera singers, the first New York production had Victor Garber, who plays the secretary to a Cleveland opera company who masquerades as the dead/ drunk opera star. This would be fun to do or see. I borrowed this from interlibrary loan.

[Joy Pouros · Rating 3 out of 5]

This hasn't aged well.

It's very funny - full of gags and mistaken identities. A typical farce, like Rumors or Noises Off.

But the plot depends upon blackface and women having sex with people they think are other people, so it simply hasn't aged as well as some others.

[Natalia Stornello · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a hilarious read! Definitely outdated at times with some of the jokes and DEFINITELY with the black face that happens pretty much throughout the show. However, it is wonderfully written and would be a great show for any actor to sink their teeth into!

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Too damn cute. :)

[Brian McCann · Rating 5 out of 5]

An outstanding modern farce. Ludwig is a master craftsman in this genre. So blessed that I saw its original production in the 80s. Still resonates today when I reread it.

[Mollie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well written but not my favorite. Not a fan of comedies with miscommunication as the basis. Totally personal opinion, though!

[Agostina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Plays are not for me.

[James Royce McGuire]

Funny and brilliantly structured.

[lore · Rating 5 out of 5]

super funny and genial i'm ¡!!

[Becca Perry · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually read his new adaptation of this, but “Lend Me a Soprano” isn’t on Goodreads, so…

[Pat Mckay · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the only farces I've ever liked. The situations and characters remain believable while being funny.

[Piper · Rating 3 out of 5]

played maria 😩 she a real one

[Agus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just one acronym to describe it: LOL

[Debra Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s a little confusing when just reading. I love it though.
It’s lots of fun and very clever.