Mount Vernon High School will present the comedy “Lend Me a Tenor” Saturday, Nov. 5 and Sunday, Nov. 6, at Mount Vernon Performing Arts Center. Saturday’s curtain rises at 7 p.m., and Sunday’s show begins at 2 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at the high school or via mvhs.booktix.com.
“We were in the need for a good comedy,” said director Tom Stephens. “We have a lot of great comedic actors, and it was time to look at doing a fast-paced farce script.”
“Lend Me a Tenor” is a comedy written by Ken Ludwig and has a cast of eight and six in crew.
Stephens said one of his favorite things with this production has been casting students in roles they have not played before.
The presentation will also travel to Cedar Falls for the Iowa Thespian Festival Friday, Nov. 11.
“That was one of our big challenges for this show this year – designing a set that would be easily transportable and reassembled at Cedar Falls,” Stephens said.
Stephens said the group applied to have their production as one of the three performed for all thespians at the state festival on the main stage.
“This is just a fast-paced, funny play that might be a little more risqué,” Stephens said.
Sophomore Megan Teague is the stage manager for the production.
“It’s my first time being in charge of a production this large,” Teague said.
Teague helped with the work backstage for “Hello, Dolly!” last year, and when Stephens was looking for a student director/stage manager for the production this year, she was on board.
She said her biggest challenge has been figuring out what decisions she can make and what ones might not need her input.
“That’s definitely given me a lot of confidence, though, to give opinions on things in the show, and because this is a collaborative process, they’re always welcomed,” Teague said.
Senior Milo Olinger plays Tito Morrelli, a renowned opera tenor.
“I really love all the physical comedy I get in this role,” Olinger said. “I really get to lean into it.”
His biggest challenge has been maintaining an Italian accent through the entire show.
“I also might have to sing a few bars of opera for the part,” Olinger said.
Olinger said that while he thought he has been a great comedic actor, this show has really pushed him to do more.
“It is a comedy that requires the actors to be paying a lot of attention,” Olinger said.
Junior Charlie Krob plays Maria, Tito’s wife.
“I love the cast that I’m here on stage with,” Krob said. “They’re a lot of fun.”
Much like Olinger, consistent accent is one of the biggest struggles of the show.
“People should come see this show because we’ve all worked so hard,” Krob said.
‘It’s a really funny show,” Olinger said. “It’s a great comedy to come turn your brain off and be entertained for an hour and a half.”
“We’ve got a lot of seniors and we’ve all put a lot of work into this production,” Teague said.
Lydia Benesh (Maggie), Natalie Clark (Diana) and Luke Stephens (Max) act in a scene of “Lend Me a Tenor.”