Press Releases

Two Weekends of Performances Begin Friday, Aug. 8

EVENT INFORMATION
Lend Me A Tenor

Date & Time:
Friday, August 8 - 8 p.m.
Saturday, August 9 - 8 p.m.
Sunday, August 10 - 3 p.m.
Friday, August 16 - 8 p.m.
Saturday, August 16 - 8 p.m.
Sunday, August 17 - 3 p.m.

Location:
Algonquin Arts Theatre
173 Main Street, Manasquan, N.J.

Tickets:
Premium: $36 (Adults), $33 (Seniors), $25 (Students)
Regular: $29 (Adults), $26 (Seniors), $18 (Students)
Group discounts for 10 or more tickets to the same performance.
Algonquin Arts Box Office: 732-528-9211 or algonquinarts.org
All tickets subject to $2 per ticket fee.

Logo:
http://www.algonquinarts.org/cc/LENDmeAtenor_SmCMYK.jpg
Lend Me A Tenor Poster Logo

MANASQUAN, N.J. (August 4, 2014) - "Lend Me A Tenor" was a sensation on Broadway (twice!), in London's West End and starting this weekend will bring non-stop laughter to the Jersey Shore at Algonquin Arts Theatre.

"Lend Me A Tenor," a play by Ken Ludwig, runs for two weekends starting Friday, August 8. The Friday & Saturday performances are at 8 p.m., with Sunday matinees at 3 p.m. USA Today raved that the show is "hysterical!" and the three-time Tony Award winner has been called "the most inventive, original farce in a long time."

Set in September 1934, Saunders, the general manager of the Cleveland Grand Opera Company, is primed to welcome Tito Morelli, "Il Stupendo," the greatest tenor of his generation, to appear for one night only as Otello.

The star arrives late and, through a hilarious series of mishaps, is given a double dose of tranquilizers and passes out. His pulse is so low that Saunders and his assistant Max believe he's dead. In a frantic attempt to salvage the evening, Saunders persuades Max to get into Morelli's Otello costume and fool the audience into thinking he's "Il Stupendo."

Max succeeds admirably, but Morelli comes to and gets into his other costume ready to perform. Now two Otellos are running around in costume and two women are running around in lingerie, each thinking she is with "Il Stupendo."

Directed on Broadway by Jerry Zaks, and in London by David Gilmore, this madcap, screwball comedy is guaranteed to leave audiences teary-eyed with laughter.

"An accelerating snowball of laughter, 'Lend Me A Tenor' has the class and charm of a Kaufman and Hart comedy plus all the door-slamming hilarity of a Marx Brothers' classic like 'Room Service,'" said Jim Helsinger of the Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival.

Director Gary Shaffer of Point Pleasant Borough has established a dynamite eight-member cast that includes three featured actors returning the Algonquin stage. Jan Topoleski of Brick, who played Juan Peron in "Evita" and Don Quixote in "Man of La Mancha" stars as "Il Stupendo," the world-famous opera singer.

Hannah Hale of Farmingdale, who last appeared in the hilarious Hitchcock parody "The 39 Steps" at the Algonquin, returns to play Max's girlfriend Maggie. Julia, the chair of the opera guild, is played by Marti Bookstein of Toms River, a regular on the Algonquin stage who last appeared in the Spring as Henry Higgins housekeeper Mrs. Pearce in "My Fair Lady."

Brian Fuorry of Ocean Township plays Saunders, the General Manager of the Cleveland Opera company. Max, the assistant to Sauders who stands in for "Il Stupendo," is played by Anthony Preuster of Middletown.

Lauren J. Cooke of Freehold plays Maria, the long-suffering, Italian-tempered wife of "Il Stupendo." Ashley Flach of (Point Pleasant) plays Diana, the opera's ingènue soprano. Bob Maerlein of Lanoka Harbor brings the comic relief as the Bellhop who always shows up at the wrong time.

Tickets can be purchased online at algonquinarts.org, by calling 732-528-9211 or by stopping in to the Box Office at 173 Main Street from 12-6 p.m. on weekdays or 12-4 p.m. on Saturday. Regular seating is $29 for adults, $26 for seniors and $20 for students. Premium seating, front and center, is available for $7 more. Tickets are subject to $2 processing fees.

About Algonquin Arts Theatre
Algonquin Arts Theatre (AAT) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1992 with the mission to provide cultural enhancement and arts education to all audiences at the Jersey Shore through high-quality performances and programs in theatre, music, film and dance. The end goal is to foster appreciation of the arts and promote lifelong learning, particularly among underserved audiences including the economically disadvantaged, senior citizens and individuals with disabilities.

Algonquin Arts Theatre's programs are made possible in part by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts / Department of State, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts; by funds from the Paul F. Zito, M.D. Educational Foundation and by Simon Kaufman, Esq. & Maria Zito-Kaufman.