Ken Ludwig's Lend Me a Tenor
by Ken Ludwig

Ken Ludwig's Lend Me a Tenor Book Cover
Ken Ludwig's Lend Me a Tenor Cover

Highlights

120 mins 1930s Ensemble Cast Interior Set Period Costumes Comedy

Awards & Recognition

Drama Desk Award Tony Award

Winner! 3 Tony® Awards and 4 Drama Desk Awards Nominee! 2010 Tony® Award, Best Revival of a Play

Synopsis

Winner of 3 Tony Awards and 4 Drama Desk Awards, Lend Me A Tenor is set in September 1934.

Saunders, the general manager of the Cleveland Grand Opera Company, is primed to welcome world-famous singer Tito Merelli, known as Il Stupendo, the greatest tenor of his generation, to appear for one night only as the star of the opera.

Tito arrives late, and through a hilarious series of mishaps, he is given a double dose of tranquilizers and passes out.

His pulse is so low that Saunders and his assistant Max believe he’s dead - and in a frantic attempt to salvage the evening, Saunders persuades Max to get into Merelli's costume and fool the audience into thinking he's Il Stupendo.

Max succeeds and lives up to his idol, but Merelli regains consciousness and gets into the identical costume, ready to perform.

Now two opera singers are running around in the same costume and two women are running around in lingerie, each thinking she is with Il Stupendo.

A sensation on Broadway and in London's West End, this madcap, screwball comedy is guaranteed to leave audiences teary-eyed with laughter.

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Press Reviews

"A remarkable piece of theatre… a masterpiece… Author Ken Ludwig has verve, a sound grasp of plot mechanics and a rare ability to couple high art with low comedy."

— The Times of London

"One of two great farces by a living writer."

— The New York Times

"Ken Ludwig's 1989 Tony-winning comedy is one of only two classic farces by a living playwright, the other being Michael Frayn's frenetic Noises Off."

— New York Daily News

"The most inventive, original farce in a long time!"

— Punch

"A furiously paced comedy with more than a touch of the Marx Brothers… A marvelous combination of wonderful farcical moments and funny lines."

— Time Out New York

Characters

Character
Maggie

Max's girlfriend

Saunders

Maggie's father, General Manager of the Cleveland Grand Opera Company

Tito Merelli

a world-famous tenor, known also to his fans as Il Stupendo

Maria

Tito's wife

Bellhop

a bellhop

Diana

a soprano

Julia

Chairman of the Opera Guild

Max

assistant to Saunders

Videos

Meet The Playwright: Ken Ludwig

Publication

Publisher Samuel French
ISBN-13 9780573691218
ISBN-10 0573691215

Ken Ludwig's Lend Me a Tenor is a comedy play written by Ken Ludwig and published by Samuel French .

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Rating

4.0

88 ratings · 152 reviews

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Performance Rights

Available for Licensing
Amateur Only
Fee: Minimum Fee: $130 per performance

Restrictions: Major Markets Plus (US) / Standard Plus Add'l Postcodes (UK)

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