KEN LUDWIG'S Lend Me a Soprano has quickly become one of the most talked-about contemporary comedies in community, regional, and professional theatre. A gender-swapped reimagining of Ludwig’s beloved farce Lend Me a Tenor, this uproarious play brings fresh energy and sharp comedic timing to a riotous new version of a plot that theatregoers have loved for decades — only this time, the power, pride, and pratfalls are predominantly in female hands.

Lend Me a Tenor debuted in London’s West End in 1986 and later moved to Broadway, where it garnered multiple Tony Award nominations and wins. That original play, set in 1934 at the Cleveland Grand Opera Company, became a staple of comic theatre internationally. It received nine Tony Award nominations and won two in 1989, including Best Actor and Best Director.

Similarly set in 1934, Lend Me a Soprano also unfolds within the confident but fragile world of the Cleveland Grand Opera Company. Lucille Wiley (played by Melanie Snyder), the fiery and exacting General Manager, has secured a one-night-only performance of Bizet’s Carmen starring the world-famous soprano Elena Firenzi (Juliet LaPointe), a diva whose voice is legendary and whose temperament is combustible.

On the day of the big show, calamity ensues almost immediately. Elena arrives late, exhausted and already under strain from the jealous antics of her impassioned husband Pasquale (Darrel Rowader). What should be a glamorous night of opera performance and applause quickly devolves into a farce of epic proportions. Meanwhile Lucille’s timid but determined assistant Jo (Danielle Nazfiger) is tasked, with increasingly flailing results, to keep Elena on track and the performance on schedule.

What follows is a madcap blend of misunderstandings, romantic entanglements and classic screwball conventions. Characters rush in and out of rooms, doors slam and witty lines ricochet across the stage, all culminating in uproarious chaos before resolution. The production revels in its quick pacing and physical comedy while offering audiences a surprisingly warm celebration of ambition, ego and camaraderie both on and off the opera stage.

Director Layla Tenney says now is a time for comedy: “I think especially now in the new year, people are sort of looking for a place to just relax, let loose and smile, and have big hearty laughs … it feels good to step away from life and the hard dealings with life and just transcend, I guess, life and enjoy yourself at the theatre.”

At the heart of the play is a strong ensemble. Lucille commands authority as the manager who must keep her company from unraveling. Elena embodies glamorous diva energy, capricious and awe-inspiring, while Pasquale’s jealous outbursts add to the frenetic atmosphere. Jo, the earnest assistant with her own hopes of stepping beyond obscurity, becomes the emotional and narrative center of the show.

Other roles, including Jerry (Bailey Stork), Leo (Silas Hall), the bellhop (Lisa Lyons) and Julia (Marnie Uhl), populate the story with further subplots and misunderstandings that fuel the plot’s momentum. All characters contribute to the play’s signature door-slamming humor and steady escalation toward eventual comic resolution. This ensemble cast is remarkable, says Tenney: “We have probably the one of  the most talented casts I’ve ever worked with. It’s just an embarrassing, intimidating amount of talent.”

More than a gender-swapped version of a beloved old favorite, Lend Me A Soprano underscores the versatility of classic comedic structures while opening doors (often literally) for new kinds of storytelling on the modern stage. The play challenges performers and directors alike to execute tight physical comedy, rapid pacing, and intricate timing — all hallmarks of the screwball tradition.

Moreover, its reliance on quick wit, operatic flamboyance and theatrical mayhem makes it an immensely satisfying experience for audiences of all backgrounds, from opera aficionados drawn by the setting to comedy lovers reveling in its wild antics. Tenney agrees, “I think it works for young people all the way to older people. There are so many characters at different ages. We have a character that’s supposed to be 18 and we have characters that are supposed to be in their 70s. So (audiences) can relate to a bunch of different generations there in the show. Those who aren’t necessarily expecting drama or seriousness can kind of go with the flow and just be captured by some of the physical comedy.”

Prescott Valley Performing Arts presents Lend Me a Soprano February 6–14 in the Main Street Theatre, Prescott Valley. For more visit PVPerformingArts.org or call 928-515-2944.

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