‘Lend Me A Tenor’ auditions Nov. 4-5
The Hill Country Community Theatre is holding auditions for “Lend Me A Tenor” on Nov. 4 and 5. Tryouts are 6:30 p.m. each day at the nonprofit theater, 4003 FM 2147 West in Cottonwood Shores, and require cold readings from the script.
Email director@thehcct.org for more information.
The production runs weekends from Feb. 6-22.
SYNOPSIS
Winner of three Tony Awards and four Drama Desk Awards, Ken Ludwig’s “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. 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.
ROLES
SAUNDERS—The Cleveland Grand Opera Company’s general manager, Maggie’s father, and Max’s boss. He’s a blowhard prone to losing his temper and is determined to make the opera’s big night a success.
MAX—Saunders’ assistant and Maggie’s suitor. He’s a nervous, young, aspiring tenor who secretly possesses significant talent. Max is forced to take Tito Merelli’s place as the lead in Pagliacci. He’s described as a “company gofer and assistant to Saunders.”
TITO MERELLI—A world-famous Italian tenor known as “Il Stupendo.” He’s a self-indulgent “ladies man” with a passion for food, wine, and opera. He has a heavy Italian accent.
BELLHOP—An opera-loving, aspiring singer who is obsessed with meeting Tito Merelli and obtaining his autograph.
MAGGIE—Saunders’ daughter and Max’s girlfriend. She’s pretty and quirky and initially has a crush on Tito.
MARIA MERELLI—Tito’s fiery Italian wife. She is jealous of Tito’s philandering but loves him deeply. She has a strong Italian accent.
DIANA—The Cleveland Grand Opera’s ambitious and seductive soprano. She’s interested in Tito and flings her way to the top.
JULIA—The chairwoman of the Cleveland Opera Guild. She considers herself a “grande dame” and is also quite flirtatious.
The Hill Country Community Theatre’s 2025-26 lineup opened Oct. 17 with “Young Frankenstein,” which runs through Nov. 2. The season continues with “Winter Wonderettes” (Dec. 5-21), “Lend Me A Tenor” (Feb. 6-22), “Lost in Yonkers” (April 10-26), “Into the Woods” (June 12-28), and “The Mystery of Irma Vepp—A Penny Dreadful” (Aug. 14-23).