"Lend Me a Tenor" by Ken Ludwig (14-16 Apr 2011)

Poster

What they said
A triumph for St. Michael's Players.
Three cheers for the bush telegraph. After the first performance of Bryony Wilman's production of 'Lend Me A Tenor' (written by Ken Ludwig) had sent its audience chuckling into the street, word quickly spread that St. Michael's Players had a big success on its hands and thereafter there was not a seat to be had and deservedly so. As with most farces the plot of the play defies succinct analysis, but here goes anyway. The Bristol Grand Opera Company is putting on a production of Verdi's 'Otello' with a world-famous Italian guest artist. He dies (not really!) just before the performance and his place is taken by the assistant to the General Manager of the Company. Once blacked-up and in costume this shy young man is pursued by, it seems, the entire female population of Bristol, each with her own agenda. And then 'Il Stupendo' - which I demurely assume refers to his singing prowess - recovers consciousness and, likewise in make-up and costume, plunges back into the story multiplying the misunderstandings until the obligatory happy ending. The cast thoroughly enjoyed themselves and so did the audience. Alastair Dewar (Il Stupendo) and Adrian Ellis (the substitute Otello) both seemed somewhat tentative in their early scenes but once they both became the Moor of Venice their performances took wing. All credit to them and their singing coach (Hannah Fox) for their duet; although I doubt that Placido Domingo has too much to fear from the competition they well deserved the ovation we gave them. The other two men in the play were also fun to watch. Mervyn Jupe as the desperate Manager of the Opera Company - a more roundly written character than many farces have to offer - and Chris Hulatt as the bell-hop with singing aspirations left us and them with happy smiles on our faces. Then there were the ladies. Fleur de Henrie, as the hero's girl friend, looked and acted beautifully after a wobbly first scene (we've all been there!). Joanna Harry played Diana, 'a soprano'; whether she can sing or not I neither know nor care but she looked terrific and exuded sexuality. As for Sue Darrieulat she could corner the market in Grandes Dames; she was the proverbial ship in extremely elegant full sail. I liked Michele Morgan's performance too, as Il Stupendo's long-suffering wife, but she was not helped by her costume and hair style which seemed to bear no period relation to anyone else's. This brings me to my major criticism. The programme (great cartoon on the cover) stated that the play was set 'in a 1930's hotel suite.' Does that mean that the events were taking place then or was it just an old hotel? Congratulations on such a solid set (a must for a play with so many door slammings) but I got no sense of period, and the costumes, exquisite though many of them were, seemed to range across the decades. But that's enough carping. A couple of years ago I criticized a Bryony Wilman production for lacking movement; I gladly take it all back. Bravo to her, the cast and all the production team." Peter Woods

Programme
programme_-_lend_me_a_tenor.pdf
File Size: 106 kb
File Type: pdf
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Pictures

Cast

Maggie Max’s girlfriend (Fleur de Henrie)
Max Assistant to Saunders (Adrian Ellis)
Henry Saunders Maggie’s father, General Manager of the Bristol Grand Opera Company (Mervyn Jupe)
Tito Merelli A world-famous tenor, known also to his fans as Il Stupendo (Alastair Dewar)
Maria Merelli Tito’s wife (Michèle Warren)
Frank A bellboy (Chris Hulatt)
Diana A soprano (Joanna Harry)
Julia Chairman of the Opera Guild (Sue Darrieulat)

Crew

Director (Bryony Wilman)
Stage Management (Jane Atkinson, Kay Porter)
Costumes (Isabelle Marks)
Set (Dave Lye, Bryony Wilman)
Lighting & Sound (Phil Smith)     
Make-Up (Teena Heer)
Prompt (Bella Mahale)
Singing Coach (Hannah Fox)
Business Manager (Chris Hulatt)
Front of House (Members & Friends of St. Michael’s)