Now that tears have dried after the Evergreen Playhouse’s performance of Anne Frank last month, visitors to the Centralia venue can trade sorrow for laughter during a viewing of the PG-13 farce “Lend Me a Tenor,” opening on March 17.
In ultimate meta fashion for the theater, the comedy showcases an opera house’s actors and singers struggling to get things together before the Italian opera Pagliacci.
As Director Isaac McKenzieSullivan describes, the play centers around a final dress rehearsal with one missing piece: the opera’s star, Tito (played by Noah McKenzieSullivan). Panic ensues. When Tito does arrive, his booming Italian accent and larger-than-life presence are dulled by illness.
“He ends up taking some medicine. Sleeping pills, probably,” Ian McKenzieSullivan said. “And then is fed more sleeping pills by other characters, so he passes out. They end up thinking he’s dead.”
In his stead, the opera’s owner, Saunders (Tim Butterfield), recruits his assistant, Max (Sean-Patrick McNeal). Max is then mistaken for the Italian opera celebrity as the owner’s daughter, Max’s starstruck girlfriend Maggie (Emily Fitzgerald), complicates the plot, punctuated by absurd clown costumes, art deco motifs and botched European accents.
“Act two is when both of them are dressed up as clowns, as Pagliacci, they're mistaken for each other,” Isaac McKenzieSullivan said. “And of course, there's love interest, so, you know, kissing the wrong person, lots of awkward situations, great fun and great comedy.”
Beyond the many laughs the show provides, he said, the characters each provide a unique perspective. Even the bellhop, with very little stagetime, earns many laughs while swooning for the Italian star. All together, as McNeal describes it, the audience is treated to a comedy with the “intensity” of a drama.
“It’s a full-fledged person in this comedic space,” Fitzgerald said of her character, Maggie. “I think all the characters have that, which I think is really cool. We’re making you laugh, but also you could imagine — with some suspension of disbelief — you could imagine this happening.”
As a farce, the show incorporates many doors, adding to the chaos. Traditionally, Isaac McKenzieSullivan said, Lend Me a Tenor is shown on a straight-forward stage, adding challenge to the Evergreen Playhouse’s rendition as it’s about three-quarters surrounded by seats.
“If someone came back to see it again, if they sat in a different spot, they'd see a completely different show,” he said.
Cast
Max — Sean-Patrick McNeal
Maggie — Emily Fitzgerald
Saunders — Tim Butterfield
Tito — Noah McKenzieSullivan
Maria — Emilie Brown
Bellhop — Jordan McMahon
Diana — Danielle Kays
Julia — Sue Robb
Crew
Director — Isaac McKenzieSullivan
Stage Manager — Theresa McKenzieSullivan
Costumes — Shari Blackwell and Allison Haugan
Properties/Scenic Dressing — Alene Stewert
Set Design — Isaac McKenzieSullivan
Light Design — Sara Olfson
Set Construction — Mark Pendleton, Nathaniel McKenzieSullivan, Cast and Crew
Scenic Painting — Theresa McKenzieSullivan
Sound/Light Board Operator — Cora Dailey Lawson
IF YOU GO
When: March 17 to April 2, 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays
Where: Evergreen Playhouse, 226 W. Center St., Centralia
Tickets: $15 for adults, $12 for students and seniors.
Info: Tickets can be purchased at evergreenplayhouse.com or at the door.
