The cramped stage at the Orlando Broadway Dinner Theater seems to be a comfortable place for its current production of Ken Ludwig's Lend Me a Tenor. Granted, the piece itself could probably benefit in the more farcical moments from a more spread out set with the slamming doors a bit further apart, but on a whole, the piece works well, with David Gerrard's light-handed direction making the cast supply many a giggle and a few guffaws.

Lend Me A Tenor managed to last 476 performances on Broadway. The script itself is nothing special, and similar characters (sure, the ethnicities and situations have changed) have been written better. But you can't help laughing at this farce, which takes place in a hotel suite in Cleveland, where world-famous tenor Tito Merelli arrives with his wife Maria to perform at a benefit for the Cleveland Grand Opera. The first few minutes are spent laying out the exposition, with our hero Max explaining to girlfriend Maggie that he himself is a singer, much to her amusement and doubt. Upon the entrance of Saunders (Maggie's father, and head of the opera company), the play ventures into typical farce with plenty of slamming doors, ladies in their underwear and, of course, mistaken identity.

Shelly Burch and Allan Baker

The cast, while mostly likable, is a mixed bag here. Only a few seem to be performing with the appropriate speed and timing. Allan Baker's Tito, Peter Haig's Saunders, and Meghan Colleen Moroney's Maria are perfect examples of how farce should be played. While we are blessed by Baker and Haig throughout the evening, it is a huge shame that we see so little of Moroney, whose forceful Maria is the highlight of the production. Karla Sue Schultz makes a charming ingenue; her Maggie is effortless and adorable.

Perhaps more is expected of Shelly Burch than her character, opera soprano Diana, allows. Burch is a tall, attractive woman, but gives very little in this production, outside of her sexuality and name recognition. Although it would be nice to see Ms. Burch tear into the role a bit more, the problem likely lies in the script itself. As Max, Scott Graham is a charismatic and attractive leading man, with great potential for a promising theater career. However, his nervous twitches become repetitive from time to time, and his overacting is unnecessary when the situations themselves are funny enough. David M. Green and Marian Dunham are the least successful of the evening. Dunham does very little to create Julia, with a monotone speaking voice and nothing physically different throughout the play. Green's bellhop is constantly spent pulling focus from more important performers on other parts of the stage. If this were a larger space, perhaps this grand scale performance would work, but in the space provided, it may be best for Green to just retreat into the background when necessary.

This is certainly the most physically attractive production that the Orlando Broadway Dinner Theatre has staged since changing hands. Bud Clark has designed an elegant unit set, with attractive colors and enough room to spare on the tiny thrust stage. Allen Wilson of Costume World has designed beautiful period costumes (especially for Moroney's gorgeous Maria) that look fantastic on each performer. Teresa Donato's lighting puts focus on the right place at the right time.

While some of the acting and pacing could use a bit more rehearsal, David Gerrard's production is an enjoyable evening at the theatre. Producer Karen Good is running a guarantee for this production that the audience will agree that this is one of the funniest plays ever seen live. While I can't say that it is THE funniest, I can certainly say it is the cause of plenty of laughter and certainly worth seeing.

Lend Me A Tenor plays at the Orlando Broadway Dinner Theater through April 11th. Information can be obtained by visiting their website at www.orlandobroadway.com.

The Cast:
Max - Scott Graham
Saunders - Peter Haig*
Maggie - Karla Sue Schultz
Tito - Allan Baker*
Maria - Meghan Colleen Moroney*
Bellhop - David M. Green
Diana - Shelly Burch*
Julia - Marian Dunham

* Courtesy of Actor's Equity Association

- Matthew MacDermid