Written by Ken Ludwig The videotaping or other video or audio recording of this production is strictly prohibited.
“Ken Ludwig’s Lend Me a Tenor” is presented by special arrangement with Samuel French, Inc., a Concord Theater Company.
DIRECTOR’S NOTE Ken Ludwig’s Lend Me A Tenor is a delightful romp laden with hilarious circumstances, snappy retorts, and colorful characters. It packs an incredible amount of peril, drama, and foolishness into a single evening. Yet, despite the outrageous plot, Lend Me a Tenor also carries a powerful message of transformation. When we first encounter Maggie she is fixated on her memories of a sweaty, palm kissing superstar who renders her loyal beau all but invisible. She longs for excitement and romance that she imagines can only come from someone exotic and new. Maggie has little agency; she is dismissed by her father, coddled by her ersatz aunt, and in a rut with her long-term fellow. But as Lend Me A Tenor progresses, we see Maggie choose to make things happen. She pursues the man of her dreams, saves the most important show of her father’s career, and realizes that her humdrum boyfriend is someone very special. World famous tenor, Tito Merelli, is an undisciplined man with questionable judgement. At the peak of his career, he is stressed by constant travel and marital strife. Yet, as the play unfolds, we see Tito become a generous teacher and true friend to the Cleveland Opera Company’s underappreciated gopher. Tito creates chaos and indulges himself, but he ultimately recognizes that he is happiest when he allows his spirited wife to take care of him. The most striking transformation turns fawning assistant, Max, into a man willing to risk spectacular failure to follow his dreams. Max yearns to share his musical gift but has a hard time believing that he ‘sings good’! He woos Maggie year in and year out without finding the courage to capture her heart. Then a flamboyant stranger, a hectoring boss, and an outlandish set of circumstances push Max to far beyond his comfort zone we see him conquer his fears. Ludwig creates a set of loveable characters who temper this lighthearted farce with unexpected personal growth. Lend Me a Tenor reminds us that the most outlandish circumstances may provide us the greatest opportunity to transform ourselves. Thank you for joining us at Lend Me a Tenor. Kate McShane - Director Elisabeth Majewski - Assistant Director
SE T TING A Hotel Suite in Cleveland, Ohio 1934
Act 1 Scene 1
Early afternoon on a Saturday in September
Scene 2
Four hours later
There will be a 15 minute intermission
Act 2
Scene 1
That night, about eleven o’clock
Scene 2
Fifteen minutes later
PRODUC TION TEAM
Lisamarie Bianchi, Brenda Capwell, Barb Cross..........................Producers Kate McShane.......................................................................................................Director Elisabeth Majewski.....................................................................Assistant Director Julie Smith, Lindsay Zimmerman............................................Music Director John Cross.........................................................................................................Set Design Emily Hromada...........................................................................................Scenic Artist Dean Soltes............................................................................Light Design/Operator Bill McShane.............................................................................................Spot Operator Ryan Kadwill......................................................................Sound Design/Operator Mike Addice................................................................................................Tech Support Sue Carney.......................................................................................Costume Designer Julie Kruk...................................................................................Hair & Makeup Design Harvey Perelman.................................................................................Stage Manager Gabrielle Cherelli, Ryan Simme.........................................................Stage Crew Lauren Franz, Yvonne Montgomery, Loretta Rurode......................Props Liz von Baldas..........................................................Italian Language Consultant John Gray......................................................................................................Photography Gabrielle Cherelli, Steven Goldblatt............................................Videography Reese Graphic Design, Gabrielle Cherelli..........Cover/Program Design Angelique Riley, Erin Riley.........................................................House Managers Ashley Lawrence, Michelle Miller.......................................................Box Office Set Construction/Painting: Bob Adorn, Tyler Andorn, Stephen Calamia, Kelly Connor, John Cross, John Gray, Julia Gray, Emily Hromada, Ashok Mathur, Bill McShane, Ryan McShane, Don Minahan, Steve Montgomery, Don Rurode, Kelly Shumaker, The Cast & Crew of Lend Me A Tenor SPECIAL THANKS
Josh Anderson Karrin Dignoti Steve Goldblatt Fredric Harbin McCaffrey’s Food Markets Max Minkoff Rick Morris Ryan Pitt P.J. Whelihan’s Pub, Oaks, PA Shannondell Joe and Chelsey Tammaro Gwen Zimany
C AST
Paul Recupero...............................................................................................................Max Christine Furey......................................................................................................Maggie Steve Montgomery........................................................................................Saunders Max Minkoff.....................................................................................................Tito Merelli
Rosemary Gehrlein.................................................................................................Maria Kenneth Olin..........................................................................................................Bellhop Lucy Fletcher..............................................................................................................Diana Deborah Moses............................................................................................................Julia
A NOTE ABOUT THE PRODUC TION Lend Me a Tenor has been a labor of love since the fall of 2019. We designed and prepared the show, ready to open in March of 2020. Like so many projects, this show was weeks from opening night when the COVID crisis shut it down. Following the sad news, we gathered as a team of theater creators and celebrated the show we could not share with audiences. The overwhelming sentiment was that, when it was safe, we would bring this show to the stage. In the years between the original dates and today, the team has continued to design, to rehearse, and to adapt to a multitude of changes and challenges. We were able to retain nearly all of the original cast and crew and we have added some extremely talented newcomers to our MCT family. The people who bring you this show are amazing! It is a joy to share Lend Me a Tenor with you. We hope that you love it as much as we do. Kate McShane
MCT 2021 BOARD OF DIRECTORS: Kate McShane (President) Nicolette Adams (Vice President) Sue Carney (Secretary) Ashley Lawrence (Treasurer) - non-board Barb Cross John Gray Katie McCool Heather McElhiney Janice Orner Lindsay Zimmerman
MEE T THE C AST & CRE W Lucy Fletcher (Diana) Lucy is very excited to be in her third MCT production! Her past shows here include SHOUT! The Mod Musical and The Complete Works of Shakespeare (Abridged) [Revised]. Lucy is currently a student at Temple University studying acting where she has recently done shows like An Enemy of the People, The Brothers Grimm Spectaculathon, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show. She is incredibly grateful to get to work with such a great cast and crew on this hilarious and brilliant show!
Christine Furey (Maggie Saunders) Christine is thrilled to finally perform with this incredible cast after two years! Christine was last seen on stage as Shelby in Steel Magnolias at Colonial Playhouse. Other recent credits include Viola/Cesario (Twelfth Night), Meg Snider (Leading Ladies), Babette (Beauty and the Beast), Fran Kubelik (Promises, Promises), Dainty June (Gypsy), and Mrs. Dean (Bury the Dead). Christine would like to thank her family, friends, as well as the cast and crew for their endless support! Much love to Mom, Dad, and Kellie.
Rosemary Gehrlein (Maria) Rosemary is happy to (FINALLY!) be appearing in this hilarious play, channeling her Italian family’s mannerisms and accents! Thanks to everyone involved in this long-awaited wonderful experience! Favorite musical roles include Marge (The Bridges of Madison County), Reverend Mother (Nunsense), Rosie Brice (Funny Girl), Martha Watson (White Christmas), and Aunt March/Mrs. Kirk (Little Women, the Musical). Roles in plays include Betty Meeks (The Foreigner), Penny Sycamore (You Can’t Take It With You), and Martha Gillette (The Game’s Afoot). Rosemary sends love to her husband for his undying support, and dedicates her performance to her son and daughter-inlaw. Don’t fight like Maria and Tito, and your marriage will last a very long time! Centanni!
Max Minkoff (Tito Merelli) Max is delighted to be part of this hilarious show! He has previously appeared here in Evita. Some of his favorite past roles include Clement Musgrove (Robber Bridegroom) and Mervyn Kant (Sisters Rosensweig) at Playcrafters in Skippack, Tevye (Fiddler on the Roof) and Nathan Detroit (Guys and Dolls) with the Beth Sholom and AJ Players in Elkins Park, and Tevye (fill-in) at Steel River in Pottstown. He most recently directed The Addams Family at Beth Sholom and AJ Players. Wonder of the World, which he directed at Playcrafters, won Broadway World Philadelphia Region Best Play in 2021.
Steve Montgomery (Saunders) This is Steve’s eighth stage appearance with MCT. He played the Mysterious Man in Into The Woods, Fagan in Oliver, Arvide Abernathy in Guys And Dolls, Senix in A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum, and multiple roles in The Producers, Evita, and She Loves Me. He is retired, as is his lovely wife Yvonne, and in addition to theater, they keep busy! They love traveling, cycling, kayaking, singing with the Norristown Chorale, volunteering in the community, and hanging out with their grandchildren. Steve is delighted to be working with this wonderfully talented, hilarious cast and efficient crew!
Deborah Moses (Julia) Deborah is thrilled to make her debut on the MCT stage in this oh-so-funny show. Deborah has been seen in other local productions as the Wicked Witch in The Wizard of Oz, Queen Constantina in Cinderella, and several other roles in Beauty and the Beast, Honeymoon in Vegas, and Mamma Mia!. When not performing, she is the CEO of her IT services company. She lives in Montgomery County with her husband, Mike, who faithfully puts up with her shenanigans, and her fur babies. Deb is grateful to be a part of this talented cast and crew and hopes you thoroughly enjoy them as much as she has!
MEE T THE C AST & CRE W Kenneth Olin (Bellhop)
In addition to the first attempt at this show, Kenneth Olin (Bellhop) has been on stage in several other MCT productions recently: in November in Cabaret (Ernst Ludwig) and during the pandemic, you may have seen him online in It’s a Wonderful Life: a Radio Play; as well as She Loves Me (Headwaiter), Little Women (Mr. Laurence), The Hunchback of Notre Dame (King Louis XI), SHOUT! The Mod Musical, The Battle of Shallowford (Fred Martin), and My Fair Lady (Jamie, Butler), as well as The Producers in 2015. He has also performed with KOP Players (Sweet Charity), Footlighters (Move Over Mrs. Markham), Jenkintown Music Theater (Urinetown), Narberth Community Theatre (The Music Man), The Barn Playhouse (Gypsy, Spamalot, and The Drowsy Chaperone), and Norristown’s Centre Theater (The Fantasticks, The Sound of Music, and Ragtime). Kenneth has a B.A. in Theatre Arts.
Paul Recupero (Max) is appearing on the MCT stage at Shannondell for the second time, having played Professor Bhaer in 2019’s Little Women. He also has performed in MCT’s recent productions of It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play (George Bailey) and Twelfth Night (Malvolio). He thanks Kate, the production team, and the cast for making Lend Me a Tenor (2 1/2 years in the making) such a great experience...and for all the exercise! Favorite productions elsewhere include Company (Bobby), Catch Me if You Can (Hanratty), Chess (Freddie), Children of Eden (Adam/ Noah), Copenhagen (Heisenberg), That Championship Season (Tom), and of course Little Shop of Horrors (Seymour), where he first met his beautiful and talented wife, Brittany. He also has directed multiple community theatre and high school productions. Paul is an attorney who resides in Malvern. “Thanks for supporting local theatre.”
SHOW CONTRIBUTORS
John & Barb Cross DJK Professional Services Ashok Mathur & Brenda Capwell Bill & Kate McShane
MCT thanks Shannondell for generously providing use of their performing arts theater to rehearse and perform Ken Ludwig’s, Lend Me A Tenor. We appreciate their generosity and value our ongoing partnership in presenting quality theater for the enjoyment of the Shannondell residents and the local community.
ANNUAL GIVING DONORS Friends ($20-$99) Steve Arcidiacono Linda Clark Janice and Ken Orner Supporters ($100-$499) John and Barb Cross Patrons ($500-$2499) Diane DiSandro The Gray Family Johnson & Johnson Deb Schrager Bill and Kate McShane You have a role at MCT. MCT is an all-volunteer non-profit 501(C)(3) theater company that has produced high quality live theater in Montgomery County for over forty years. This season, we will present three musicals, one stage play, and one youth theater production. We create outstanding shows that entertain our audiences, provide a creative outlet to the community, and educate people of all ages about the theater arts. Support our mission by becoming a member, becoming a patron, and telling a friend about the show you saw today. Word of mouth is the most effective way that we attract new audiences. Our members create costumes, design sets, source props, devise lighting and sound plans, perform, manage our finances, create marketing plans, and much more. We welcome new volunteers at every skill level and would love to tell you more about how to get involved at MCT! Our patrons support our shows through ticket sales, direct donations, employer matching, annual giving, corporate sponsorships, and planned gifts. We gratefully accept cash and check donations at every performance. To contribute online, please use this link to donate: https://my.cheddarup.com/c/become-a-mct-donor To contribute by mail, please send your donation to: MCT PO Box 26144 Collegeville, PA 19426
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Break a Leg to the Cast, Crew, & Production Team of “Lend Me A Tenor”! What fun this has been! Congratulazioni! Rosemary
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