The job of committee chair for a major fundraiser is a thankless job, especially when the shrimp dish is in a broken refrigerator, the music for the opera is misplaced and the star of the show is missing. Come attend the tenth anniversary of the Cleveland Grand Opera where the world renown tenor Tito Merelli is about to make his American debut. Only he is nowhere to be found. Artful Living, a nonprofit theater for the community for a decade, recently presented Ken Ludwig's "Lend Me a Tenor" at the Andrews Memorial Auditorium in Clinton to great acclaim.
It falls on Henry Saunders, (David Cardone) the company manager, to fix things when everything falls apart for the benefit. He in turn heaps the blame and responsibility on his assistant Max (Steve Sabol) to save the day, and Max comes through in a number of ingenious ways. In the process, Max must deal with his almost-fiancee Maggie (Vanessa Vradenburgh) who is fascinated with Tito's presence, Julia (Nancy Williams) who is anxious that the party be a success and Diana (Christine Gill) who wants to be more to Tito than a co-star.
When the great Merelli (Michael Cartwright) finally arrives with his wife Maria (Nancy Cardone) in tow, the true beauty of the farce explode with slamming doors, mistaken identities and not one star to play Otello but two. This is seriously funny stuff. The list of folks anxious to meet Tito for an autograph (Maggie), an audition (the bellhop-John Demetre) and an assignation (all the females) grows long. Everyone has an agenda of what they want Tito to deliver but Maria, as his fiery wife, is sick and tired of his excesses in food, drink and women.
When an angry and unforgiving Maria storms out of the hotel room, nicely created by Rachel Smith, an avalanche of incidents start to explode. Pat Souney directs this fun and fancy free farce where all the characters excell in their roles.
Watch for future events staged by Artful Living and prepare to be entertained.
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