Alley Theatre Announces Cast & Creative Team Of Ken Ludwig's LEND ME A SOPRANO
Originally published by Broadway World:
The Tony Award-winning Alley Theatre announces the cast and creative team of its world premiere production - Lend Me A Soprano, written by Tony-Award Winner Ken Ludwig. This hilarious production runs September 16 - October 9, 2022, in the Hubbard Theatre and is directed by Eleanor Holdridge.
Ken Ludwig, America's preeminent comic playwright returns to the Alley with this all-new play. Alley Theatre has produced two classic Ludwig plays- The Three Musketeers and Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express, as well as four world premieres- Be My Baby, An American In Paris, Leading Ladies, and Treasure Island. Ludwig debuts his latest play, Lend Me A Soprano, to kick off the season. The play is set in 1934, when the clever and combustible Lucille Wiley, Manager of the Cleveland Grand Opera Company, is ready to welcome world-class soprano Elena Firenzi for her one-night-only starring role in Carmen. Alas, Elena arrives late, her impassioned husband Pasquale has a fit of jealousy, and it remains to be seen whether Mrs. Wiley's mousy but determined assistant Jo can save the day. Based on Ludwig's hit comedy Lend Me A Tenor, the roles are reversed, and the ladies take the lead in this madcap screwball comedy guaranteed to leave audiences teary-eyed with laughter.
"Lend Me A Tenor was my first Broadway play, and 30 years later, it continues to be produced all over the world in dozens of languages," shares playwright Ken Ludwig. "So why did I futz with it? Over the course of my career, I've had the good fortune to work with many extraordinary comic actresses. That got me thinking: 'where would this play take me if the three male lead characters were women?' So, I turned Lend Me A Tenor upside down and kept the basic plot. The world may have changed, but it needs laughter more than ever. I hope that Alley Theatre audiences enjoy this new play as much as I enjoyed writing it."
"It is such a delight to have Ken Ludwig back at the Alley," shares Artistic Director Rob Melrose. "Ken's relationship to the Alley goes back decades. In my short time at the Alley, this is the third Ken Ludwig play. I remember the first time I saw Lend Me a Tenor over thirty years ago and absolutely loving it. The play went on to Broadway to be nominated for nine Tony awards, ultimately winning two. So, when Ken told me that he wanted to rewrite the play with women in the leading roles, I jumped at the chance for the Alley to be part of it. I'm so proud for the Alley to bring another world premiere production of a Ken Ludwig comedy into the world."
The cast of Ken Ludwig's Lend Me A Soprano includes Ellen Harvey (Broadway: How To Succeed in Business... Phantom Of The Opera) as Mrs. Wylie, Mia Pinero (Broadway: West Side Story) as Jo, and Alexandra Silber (Broadway: Fiddler On The Roof, West End: Indecent) as Elena Firenzi.
Rounding out the cast is Orlando Arriaga (72 Miles To Go..., Quixote Nuevo) as Pasquale, Steven Good as Leo, Brandon Hearnsberger (A Christmas Carol) as Jerry, Susan Koozin (Clue, Murder on the Orient Express) as Julia, and Skyler Sinclair (Crimes of the Heart) as Beverly.
The creative team of Ken Ludwig's Lend Me A Soprano includes Scenic Designer Klara Zieglerova, Costume Designer Helen Huang, Lighting Designer Jorge Arroyo, Sound Designer Jane Shaw, Fight Director & Intimacy Specialist Adam Noble, New York Casting by JZ Casting (Geoff Josselson, CSA; Katja Zarolinski, CSA), Stage Manager Rachel Dooley-Harris, and Assistant Stage Manager Ryan Barrett.