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Saunders -- 50-ish. Imagine Dr. Frasier Crane as the head of an opera company. Now imagine that Lucciano Pavarotti has agreed to appear there for a benefit performance. Now imagine that everything, but everything goes wrong.
Max -- 30-ish. If George Costanza and Woody Allen became as one, Max would be born. A ner-do-well nerd who dearly loves Maggie, dearly loves opera, and desparately longs for courage. He works under Saunders, literally.
Maggie -- 20-something. She's the vapid daughter of the opera company manager, Saunders, and so she's a bit spoiled. "Tito Merelli is heaven, Max, and I want to go to heaven."
Tito Merelli -- 40-something. He's a life-loving, over-indulgent world-class tenor with a passion for food, wine, women, and especially opera. And women. And women.
Maria, Tito's wife -- 39-ish. A moody, hot-blooded, hot-tempered Italian who's a little bit like Sophia Loren. She's a jealous, territorial animal. Grrr...
Julia -- 50-60's. When the Marx Brothers cast Margaret Dumont as the society matron foil, they didn't break the mold. Enter Julia. She's the president of the Opera Gu-hild!
Diana -- Ageless. Boop-boop be-doop! What, me dumb? (Dumb like a fox! Now call my publicity agent and turn this into a story!) Tee-hee!
Bellhop -- 20-something. Mr. No-Name is Mr. Wiseguy, also known as the eyes, the ears, and the mouth of the hotel!
"Lend Me A Tenor" is a door-slamming, dress-dropping farce with mistaken identities, mischievous misunderstandings and compromising positions.
It is the biggest night in the history of the Cleveland Grand Opera Company, and world-famous Italian tenor Signor Tito Merelli will be their guest artist in "Otello," highlight of the company's most important fundraiser for the 1934 season.
But Tito's troubled life, his hot-headed wife, and a "Dear John" letter mistaken as Tito's suicide note sends everybody's head swimming. No Tito, no $50,000 in ticket sales. Find the dead singer!
Meanwhile, Max -- opera singer wanna-be -- is coerced into impersonating the Italian great to save the show. In costume, wig and make-up, he's is a dead ringer for the dead singer. And then it happens. Tito Merelli wakes up from his apparent one-too-many-sedatives, refreshed and ready for the spotlight!
Toss in a belligerent bellhop, a steamy soprano and a flamboyant opera director, and "Lend Me a Tenor" turns a rib-tickling romp of who kissed who into giggles and gasps of it was you?
