Casting Call: 'Lend Me a Tenor'

Does anyone have a tenor I can borrow?

Maurer Productions of Kelsey Theater will hold auditions for "Lend Me a Tenor" mid-November.

Set in the 1930s, Saunders, general manager of the Cleveland Grand Opera Company, is primed to welcome world famous Tito Morelli, 'Il Stupendo', the greatest tenor of his generation, to appear for one night only as Otello. The star arrives late and, through a hilarious series of mishaps, 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 Morelli's Otello costume and fool the audience into thinking he's 'Il Stupendo'. Max succeeds admirably, but Morelli comes to and gets into his other costume, ready to perform. Now two Otellos are running around in costume and two women are running around in lingerie, each thinking she is with Morelli. A sensation on Broadway and in London's West End, this madcap, screwball comedy is guaranteed to leave you teary-eyed with laughter.

Max (mid-30s)	Assistant to Mr. Saunders, head of the Cleveland Opera Company. A bit of a nerd. An opera lover and a trained opera singer, Max wishes he had more courage and more confidence. In love with Maggie. Must be able to pass as a talented operatic tenor.
Maggie (late 20s)	Pretty and quirky, Maggie is the daughter of Saunders and a music lover. Besotted with Merelli and dreams of a great romantic fling before she settles down. For now, she is refusing to marry Max.
Saunders (mid-50s)	Authoritarian, excitable. Head of the Cleveland Opera Company. Worried that things will go wrong – and doesn't handle it too well when everything does. An uptight man with a short fuse who tends to take his frustrations out on Max.
Tito Merelli (mid-40s)	World-class Italian opera singer (think Pavorotti) with an appetite for wine, women, and women. Oh yes, and song. Speaks with a thick Italian accent. Must be believable as a world-class operatic tenor.
Maria Merelli (late 30s-early 40s)	A beautiful but moody and hot-blooded Italian. Merelli's wife. Sophia Loren type. Extremely jealous of Tito's philandering, ready to call it quits. H a thick Italian accent.
Julia (mid-50s)	Society matron and president of the Opera Guild. Desperate to hobnob with Merelli.
Diana (mid-30s)	A very sexy soprano who wants to use Merelli to further her career aspirations and is willing to do anything for the favor. Does not need to sing.
Bellhop: Male - Late 20's	Italian-speaking, opera-singing, hardworking, all-knowing bellhop who is desperate to get a picture with Merelli. Must sound like a wannabe opera star.

Auditions will take place from 12-5 p.m. Nov. 15 and 16. Auditionees should visit mponstage.com to sign up for the audition and prepare for the audition process. Kelsey Theater is located at on the Mercer County Community College campus at 1200 Old Trenton Road, West Windsor.