'Lend Me a Tenor' set to open at Encore Theatre in Tulare
There are two styles of comedy: high comedy and low comedy. Director Dave Burley says “Lend Me a Tenor,” which opens May 3 at Encore Theatre, is definitely the latter.
“High comedy is more verbal. It uses sophisticated wit,” Burley explained. “Low comedy is more physical—think Laurel and Hardy or the Three Stooges.”
He and many of his cast members say “Lend Me a Tenor” is one of the funniest shows they’ve ever seen.
“I’m not a laugh-out-loud kind of person, but this show has me laughing out loud,” said Burley.
Yet it’s not corny.
“It’s really well written. I don’t like corny. And if lines might be corny, you can direct them in a corny way or just a funny way.”
The show is definitely a farce, with doors slamming, women hiding in closets, mistaken identities, and a lot of chasing around. There’s also sexual innuendo, so the show is not for children.
The plot
Winner of three Tony Awards and four Drama Desk Awards, “Lend Me A Tenor” is set in September 1934. The Cleveland Grand Opera Company is about to open. In a nutshell, world-famous opera tenor Tito Mirelli's “Il Stupendo” is set to perform the starring role for one night only. Through a hilarious series of mishaps, he is given a double dose of tranquilizers and passes out.
Max, the company’s assistant manager and fledgling singer, dresses in Tito’s costume and goes on in his place to overwhelming applause. Tito revives and puts on his extra costume, and the rest of the show is a riotous and unpredictable confusion of mistaken identities and love attractions.
The characters
JJ Pestano, who plays Tito, first did the show at College of the Sequoias in 2007.
“I was the bellhop then, and I loved the show. I always wanted to do it a second time,” he said.
Pestano had just finished three shows in a row—at COS, Fresno’s Second Space, and in Reedley—and he was ready for a break but couldn’t pass up this show.
“It’s such a lot of fun, so full of life. I get tossed and dragged all over the place.”
Ryan Bettencourt portrays Saunders, the stressed general manager of the opera company.
“I enjoy Dave’s productions. I love comedy. You can do so much with it. This is one of the most active shows I’ve been in,” he said.
Saunders has a lot of monologues, many of them similar to each other, so Bettencourt’s challenge is remembering which one comes where.
Issac Hernandez, who plays Max, wanted to do a show at Encore. It’s one of the few local playhouses he hasn’t acted in until now. He and Tito have a big scene where Tito gives him pointers on how to sing over the-top. They also sing Italian opera together, which they learned from YouTube.
Adding to the comedy
The part of seductress Elyse Reveles plays Diana.
“When I saw the script, I said I don’t know about this!” she admitted.
You have to know a little bit about the size and style of the famous New York Chrysler Building to understand Alyson Cook’s big laugh when she enters as Julia, the over-dressed head of the opera guild.
Cook also took on the show's set designer and costumer jobs. About the stage design, Burley said admiringly, “I think half the furniture in her house is on stage. It’s a beautiful set.”
Add in Tito’s fiery Italian wife (Sienna Mata), Max’s giddy girlfriend (Faith Aguair), and a meddling bellhop (Logan Mendiola), and you have a recipe for comedic disaster.
Plenty of ‘moments’
This is the craziest show I’ve ever been involved with or seen, and I have the cast to do it,” said Burley. “Sometimes you have to work with an actor to understand their part, but here everyone instinctively knew their character.”
And this play has plenty of “moments.”
“In any play, you want to have as many moments as possible to keep the audience involved. The flow is so important to me. You want the audience to flow down the river, with no logs to bump against—but with some special moments.”
And “Lend Me a Tenor” flows with a quick, uproarious pace and has plenty of those “moments.”
How to attend
What: "Lend Me a Tenor"
When: Runs May 3-18
Where: Encore Theatre, 324 South N St., Tulare
Information: 559 686-1300 or www.encoretulare.org
This article originally appeared on Visalia Times-Delta: 'Lend Me a Tenor' set to open at Encore Theatre in Tulare
