These days everyone needs a laugh, says Todd Nielsen. To prove it, he’s directing the madcap comedy Lend Me A Tenor to put a cap on International City Theatre’s (ICT) 2022 season.
For his ninth ICT production, Nielsen is helming Ken Ludwig’s beloved farce, running now through Sunday, Nov. 6 at the company’s home in the Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center. (For details see below.)
Like many productions around town, the show was initially postponed by COVID-19. So Nielsen was eager to “come down from Oregon” to return to ICT (where he previously led shows like Let’s Misbehave and How the Other Half Loves) and “what is probably one of the funniest and best-written farces that exists in American theatre today.”
Set in 1934, Lend Me A Tenor is a heady mix of slapstick, word play, romance and even some opera “hits.” In Ludwig’s Tony-nominated work (1989), the Cleveland Grand Opera Company is facing disaster when “Il Stupendo,” world famous Italian tenor Tito Merelli (think Pavarotti) they’ve imported to sing Pagliacci, may prove to be indisposed (or even worse) at the last minute.
International City Theatre.
Following are excerpts from my interviews with Nielsen and Nick Tubbs who plays Max, the awkward, bullied assistant to the opera company’s general manager, who may finally get his big break.
Playwright Ludwig has said he loves the theatre and these notions of witty wordplay, mistaken identity in disguise, romantic love, possible suicide, innuendo and some bawdiness. Are they here?
Nielsen: The play really rides a line between French farce and Shakespeare. It’s a tried-and-true formula that’s been around as long as theatre has existed from the days of Aristophanes and Plato. It’s a comedy peopled with over-the-top characters and lots of physical and vocal exaggerations.
This style is very well developed in human behavior and theatre tradition, think Comedy of Errors. And it brings to the stage a hyper reality that involves a suspension of belief on behalf of the characters and the audience.
What are the challenges of directing a play with split-second timing cues, tons of physical comedy (with people hiding in closets and under beds) and non-stop action?
Nielsen: I ran into a director friend of mine who said the whole show is one big dance. It’s very physical and technical in its rhythm, so the trick is orchestrating the comedy to mine the humor out of it and be sure it’s really clear.
This production was rehearsed in a fast-and-furious three weeks and staged in six days. When the show is up on its toes it has an elegance and sophistication. There’s also an innocence with mildly sexual situations all done with a great sense of fun and mayhem.
How are you handling the demands?
Tubbs: I’ve never been this exhausted after a show and I can say, ‘thank goodness for knee pads.’ It’s like being shot out of a canon from start to finish. I’ve lost about 10 pounds picking up people, running around and with the quick costume changes.
I never had to stretch before a show, and it’s become a necessity. Since the physicality comes out of the plot it makes it easy to use that momentum, and I don’t think so much about tripping over furniture or falling.
The play’s complicated fast-paced plot has twists and turns that just keeps going. How do actors cope? What tips have you gotten?
Tubbs: It helps that we have two cast members who’ve both been in two previous productions each: Barry Pearl who plays blustery Cleveland Opera Company general manager Henry Saunders, panicked that the evening he’s producing will turn out right, and Matt Curtin, as a star-struck, meddling bellhop. They’ve been happy to share their ideas of what’s worked for them.
The play’s cast include the opera star’s tempestuous and jealous wife Maria (Jade Santana), Saunders’ giddy daughter Maggie, Max’s girlfriend who can’t quite commit to marriage (Bella Hicks), Julia, the flirty head Opera Guild chair (Holly Jeanne), and sexy soprano Diana (Kailyn Leilani), the ambitious co-star who will do anything to get to the Met. How do you bring depth to characters that could become stock farce stereotypes?
Nielsen: I think Ludwig provides a ton of detail and the characters all have desires and motivations. Much of the show harkens back to classic Hollywood screwball comedies.
Having directed the show before (at Chapman University) I always encourage actors to try to see the show from the audience’s perspective and always try new things in the rehearsal process. You can use the play’s physicality to bring out your character. Maybe there is something more in just picking up a glass. Think about how it can be extended to express your character. I have talked about not rushing the comic business and taking your time. It appears to the audience that the antics are constant, but there has to be an ebb and flow.
All the female characters want a piece of the sexy, glamorous artist Tito Merelli – plus the superfan bellhop.
Nielsen: The idea of celebrity worship is fun to play with. Being in the star’s orbit motivates almost all the characters.
Tubbs: Max admires the opera star’s persona, swagger and all he embodies. He’s envious of Merelli’s ability to woo women and tries to copy some of his panache to break out of his own comfort zone.
The set itself becomes a character on its own. Ludwig’s hotel suite setting has six doors since in farce, characters are always hiding behind doors or banging on them demanding to be let in.
Nielsen: In rehearsal we had tape on the floor where the doors would go and the actors had to yell ‘slam,’ since the constantly opening and slamming doors are cues for exits and entrances that need pinpoint timing. So it’s really nice to be on the set by scenic designer JR Norman Luker.
And yes, we have all six doors, but we have one that swings in and out and French doors, to add a twist to the action and design.
For the parts of Tito Merelli and Max, you need actors who can really sing.
Nielsen: There’s a remarkable amount of talent in the cast. Singer, actor and voice teacher Michael Scott Harris is an amazing tenor as Tito. And he and Nick have voices of angels.
And even the bellhop gets in on the action with a hit from The Barber of Seville.
In the show you get to sing opera — Dio, che nell’alma infondere, a duet from Verdi’s Don Carlo, Vesti la guibba from Pagliacci and even a bit of the Toreador Song from Carmen.
Tubbs (who sang in Marry Me A Little and Forever Plaid at ICT): It’s a lot of fun, but it generates a lot of nerves. I’ve never sung opera before, and I don’t speak Italian (I barely speak English) so I worry about pronunciation. And some of it’s a cappella so I hope I get a good starting note so I don’t regret it by the end.
The music’s been a joy to work on, and Michael’s been a huge help with his background and knowledge. This experience also makes me realize I don’t have a future in opera.
How is it playing Max, the hapless but determined assistant to the general manager. He’s a nervous, young fellow and secret tenor extraordinaire who finally comes into his own?
Tubbs: It’s been great and he’s not too far from my own personality, but I feel much more comfortable singing in front of people than he does. I relate to his desire to make people happy and do a good job to the best of his abilities; and to be constantly pining for something more.
I want Max to be someone you root for and want to see find his self-confidence. And there’s something fun about being involved in crazy zany situations being the straight man in a show with larger-than-life characters and helping ground the comedy.
Are you an opera fan?
Nielsen: My dad did Gilbert & Sullivan and I’ve come to know opera much better over the years. Plus I directed Terrence McNally’s Master Class, about fictional sessions led by opera legend Maria Callas in the 1970s, near the end of her life.
Tubbs: I’ve always admired and been in awe of opera singers. And I’d add that familiarity with opera is not a requisite for enjoying this show.
Any parting shots?
Nielsen: The frenetic pre-official curtain call is something to see.
International City Theatre at the Long Beach Performing Art Center, 330 East Seaside Way, Long Beach. Performances through Sunday Nov. 6 are at 8 p.m., Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m., Sunday. Tickets are $49, $52 for Sunday matinees. Proof of vaccination is required for admission and masks must be worn throughout the performance. For more information, call 562-436-4610 or visit www.InternationalCityTheatre.org.
Steve Simmons is an accomplished writer and editor who writes about a wide array of topics including entertainment. His successful experience at The Beverly Hills Courier and other publications set the stage for his blog. Contact Steve at steve.simmons0211@gmail.com or 626-788-6734.
