Village Players to perform ‘Lend Me a Tenor’

BIRMINGHAM — Opening night for the Birmingham Village Players’ performance of “Lend Me a Tenor” will be March 10.

“Lend Me a Tenor” is a 1986 comedy by Ken Ludwig. While the name may lead audiences to think otherwise, this production is a play, not a musical.

The play tells the story of when an opera company hires a world-famous Italian tenor, Tito Merelli (also known as Il Stupendo) for a fundraiser, but a series of mishaps before the performance leaves everyone to believe he has died. In an effort to save the fundraiser, the director of the company dresses up his assistant to pretend to be Merelli onstage.

The play is set in 1934 in a hotel suite in Cleveland, Ohio. The set design includes period furniture, six doors and two rooms. Director Eileen White said the crew has done a magnificent job with the costumes and the set to transport the audience to 1934.

“This is by far one of the best casts I’ve ever had,” White said.

There was an incredible turnout for auditions, with 40 actors competing for eight roles. Since several of the characters are in relationships with one another, White said some of her casting decisions came down to chemistry. The actors’ comedic timing was also an important factor.

“This is the perfect show to come see on a Friday night after you have had a bad workweek,” White said.

Russell Boyle, of Detroit, plays Merelli in the play.

“I am playing him very true to the way that he’s been played in other performances, with an Italian accent and all,” Boyle said, “But we won’t be lip-synching the opera song. We will actually be singing it onstage.”

Boyle has done accents in performances in the past and brushed up his Italian accent by watching Italian films. He was also able to use his trip to Italy and tips from his Italian friends and family members to improve his accent.

“I feel really honored to be onstage. I feel like the play is going really smoothly because everyone brings such strong expertise to what they are doing,” Boyle said.

Other roles include Joe Danz, of Rochester, as Max Garber; Benjamin Feliciano, of West Bloomfield, plays Henry Saunders; Marie Burchi-Skipinski, of Oxford, plays Maggie Saunders; Sonja Rasmussen Distefano, of Clinton Township, plays Maria Merelli; Kendall Doman, of Bloomfield Hills, plays Diana; Sue Chekaway, of Bloomfield Hills, plays Julia; and Jeff Weiner, of Royal Oak, plays the bellhop.

“Lend Me a Tenor” will be performed by the Birmingham Village Players at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and at 2 p.m. Sundays until March 26.

“The more people we have in the audience, the more everyone’s going to enjoy it, because the laughter will be infectious,” White said.

Tickets cost $24 each, plus a $1 ticketing fee. To reserve seats, call the box office, (248) 644-2075, or click on the ticket page on birminghamvillageplayers.com.