A cast of eight talented students debuted their opening night showing of “Lend Me a Tenor” in the Cabrini College Theater on Thursday, Nov 4. “Lend Me a Tenor” is a comedy set in a hotel suite in Cleveland, Ohio in the ‘30s. The show revolves around Tito Merelli, a world-famous tenor played by senior Phil Haggerty.
Tito is to perform the role of Otello, a character in the four act opera based on Shakespeare’s play Othello, in the gala fundraiser for the Cleveland Opera Company. When Tito and his wife Maria, played by senior Maddie Iacobucci, arrive at the hotel Tito is not feeling well and insists to everyone that he needs rest before his performance. Henry Saunders, general manager of the Opera House, played by sophomore Sam Hallowell, tells his assistant Max, played by senior Michael Krencicki, to do whatever he can to get Tito rested before the show.
From there a mystery unfolds and the stage erupts in chaos for the rest of the characters. The theater was transformed into a of a five-star hotel suite. As the stage lit for act one scene one, the set looked as if it had been taken out of a movie. Director Dr. Thomas Stretton Jr., set designer Joe Urbanik and technical director Bob Iodice were all responsible for producing the show.
“Our productions could not come together without these three individuals,” Arielle Friscia, senior stage crew member, said. Stretton says it is the students who make the show a success.
“People are aware of all the hard work and practice that goes into playing a sport such as football,” Stretton said. “But I feel the hard work and dedication each of these students put into this play really goes unnoticed.” The hard-working cast was responsible for preparing for a period piece; a term referencing plays occurring in another era of time. Hallowell says performing a period piece is challenging because of the drastic difference between their time, the ‘30s, and ours.
“The most interesting thing about rehearsing and performing as if we were in the 1930’s is the change of wardrobe and vocabulary from when we walk in the door to when we step on stage,” Hallowell said. “Ordinary words like ‘mayonnaise’ and simple contractions like ‘I’ll’ are things you have to think about while on stage.” Friscia has witnessed the dedication the cast has put into making this performance unforgettable.
“Every person that comes to see the show doesn’t realize they are walking into the madness of ‘Lend Me a Tenor,’” Friscia said. “Backstage for the actors, it was tough because at rehearsals they don’t have an audience, they don’t get that and while we as a company know what to expect, every night it’s a different audience,” Friscia said. Cabrini College students auditioned for the play in late August and after a few nights of auditions, the cast was chosen. “As the only freshman actor, I really loved being a part of the play and really came to know and love the cast and crew,” Colleen Biehl, who played Julia, said.
For the next two months, the actors and actresses of the play rehearsed every Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, all day Saturday and Sunday afternoons perfecting their roles for the show.
While the rest of the student body enjoyed a day off for Dean’s Fall Holiday, the cast of “Lend Me a Tenor” spent the entire day rehearsing. “It sure isn’t easy. I guess the desire to be on stage is what got me through this past month of rehearsals,” Cathy Matta, who plays the role of Diana, said. “Trying to keep the final product in my mind’s eye helped me with time management and reminded me why I signed up for this show.”
The show is still being performed Thursday, Nov. 11 through Sunday, Nov. 14 running as a matinee. According to Hallowell, if you have no background of the story, you can still expect a good time.
“Without knowing anything about the show before coming into our theater, the audience can expect a love story, a case of mistaken identity, a fake death and pure hilarity,” Hallowell said.
To see how this mystery unfolds students can pick up tickets at the S.E.a.L. office located in the Widener Center.
Hey Kelsey,
I added a couple more quotes in my article. Let me know if there is anything else I can do.