The year is 1934 and we are introduced to the Cleveland Grand Opera Company in a swanky hotel suite. They are awaiting the arrival of world-famous tenor Tito Merelli, the star in their production of Otello. The company is scheduled to perform in the evening, but, as Milwaukee Chamber Theatre’s Director C. Michael Wright puts it, “everything that could possibly go wrong does.” Ken Ludwig’s Lend Me a Tenor gives us a hilarious behind-the-scenes take on the amalgam of great and unpleasant things that can ensue when a star performer is unable to take the stage. “It’s a classic farce with larger-than-life characters, mistaken identities and six slamming doors,” says Wright. “But the play also has a lot of heart. It explores relationships, both romantic and fraternal, and above all, the need to believe in yourself before you can actively pursue your dreams.”
Milwaukee Chamber Theatre’s Lend Me a Tenor, produced in collaboration with the Marquette University Theatre Department, runs April 10-27, at the Broadway Theatre Center’s Cabot Theatre, 158 N. Broadway. For tickets, call 414-291-7800 or visit milwaukeechambertheatre.com.
Theater Happenings:
Northwestern University’s Shawn Douglass will direct Next Act Theatre’s Three Views of the Same Object, a thought-provoking play depicting three different iterations of the same retired couple who have made an end-of-life suicide pact. Of the stirring production’s six fine performers, Artistic Director David Cecsarini says, “It will be a treat to have all this ‘pro-power’ in one place at one time, and at Next Act.” The show runs April 3-27, at 255 S. Water St. For tickets, call 414-278-0765 or visit nextact.org.
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Still Life, by Alexander Dinelaris, takes us on a journey with photographer Carrie Ann, who is inexplicably ridden with creative paralysis, and Jeff, a trend analyst and an unexpected romantic interest who is determined to help Carrie Ann move forward. Carrie Jones directs many seasoned actors (including Alyssa Falvey, Brian Myers and Katie Thompson) in this Soulstice Theatre show, which runs April 4-19, at the Keith Tamsett Theatre, 3770 S. Pennsylvania Ave., Suite 2, St. Francis. For tickets, call 414-481-2800 or visit soulsticetheatre.org.
Marquette Theatre brings to the stage Shakespeare’s Hamlet with Maureen Kilmurry at the helm. Shows will be held April 3-13, at Marquette University’s Helfaer Theatre, 525 N. 13th St. For tickets, call 414-288-7504 or visit showclix.com/events/marquettetheatre.
Broadminded, Milwaukee’s only all-female sketch comedy group, will present DIY: A Sketch Comedy Show April 4-12, at the Tenth Street Theatre, 628 N. 10th St. For tickets, visit broadmindedcomedy.com; tickets at the door are cash only.
