About the work
Ken Ludwig's two-act mistaken-identity farce had its world premiere on 1 August 1985 at the American Stage Festival in Milford, New Hampshire, under the working title "Opera Buffa," directed by Larry Carpenter. Retitled "Lend Me a Tenor," it opened at London's Globe Theatre on 6 March 1986, produced by Andrew Lloyd Webber and directed by David Gilmore, followed by a Broadway run in 1989.
Plot
Cleveland, 1934: opera manager Henry Saunders awaits the world-famous tenor Tito Merelli for a performance of Verdi's "Otello," but Merelli is knocked out after an accidental overdose of sedatives. Saunders talks his nervous assistant Max into disguising himself as Merelli's Otello. When the revived Merelli turns up in his own Otello costume, mistaken identities, hidden lovers and two simultaneous "Otellos" spiral out of control.
Cultural significance
The Broadway production received nine Tony nominations in 1989 and won two, for Philip Bosco's lead performance and Jerry Zaks' direction; the play has since been translated into more than sixteen languages and staged in over 25 countries. In German-speaking theatres it is also known through a musical adaptation that, since its German premiere in Leipzig in 2013, has reached more than 110 productions.