Elkader, Iowa

Lend Me A Tenor
by Ken Ludwig

Directed by Diane Fisk
Produced by Kay Moser

Show Dates: March 16, 17, 29, 30, 31 - 2001

Saturday 31 March - As the last night of the show approaches, I just had to jump on and say.. if you don't want to be an April Fool, get yourself to this show tonight. (Sorry, couldn't resist.) The cast and crew are all ready to give you a fantastic show. This has been an amazingly fun run from start to finish with lots of fun for both the cast and the audiences. It is not one you will want to miss. Plenty of good seats still available for tonight. There is nothing else I can say but this is a FUN show, you won't be sorry you came. By the way.. if you happen to see cast member Jon Banse, or light crew member Jay Moser today.. wish them a happy birthday. Come see what fun they have on their birthdays tonight at the Opera House.

Thursday 22 March - I just had to jump on and let you know that the cast is still going strong. Last night was the mid week rehearsal to keep ourselves fresh on lines and characters. I'm not quite sure about lines, but the characters were sure still there! It's going to make it a tough one to let go at the end for certain. This show has to be right up there with one of the most enjoyable shows to do, especially with this cast. From what I've been hearing from people that have seen the show, it is very enjoyable for the audience as well. Plenty of seats left for the remaining three performances. Don't hesitate, call and get your tickets today. I can safely guarentee that you will not be disappointed in your entertainment "bang for the buck!"

Friday 16 March - Comments to share from fellow cast member Jon Banse(Frank the Bellhop) - "Opening is upon us and the fur, excuse me, fun continues as we are look forward to a live audience. When you see the show you'll understand that last comment! Everyone has come along nicely in perfecting their roles. Our esteemed director has pulled all of the fine details together nicely which makes this a fabulous show. Laughter is good medicine, so everyone who is able to see the show will definitely lengthen their lives by being able to unwind and laugh for a couple hours." (editorial note: If anyone needs a Doctor's slip.. I'll see what I can arrange!)

Thursday 15 March - Well, weather permitting, only one rehearsal before opening. Things went very well last night. The cast is becoming a very tight knit group of very professional people. We're missing only one ingredient to make this a fantastic show, and that's you, the audience! For those of you in listening range, I just got off the phone with an interview with KMCH 94.7 FM in Manchester. The interview will air at approximately 8:10am tomorrow (Friday March 16). Listen in and see if I stutter as much on air as I do onstage.. <grin> After opening weekend, I'll be putting some more photo's online. Please, believe me, if you like to laugh, and your heart can stand the strain of doing so for almost 2 hours straight, you won't want to miss this show! See you there!

Monday 12 March - It's here. Opening week! We're working on some pictures to update our progress on set and costumes. They are taken and ready, but we're discussing just how much we want to show you before the actual show. Watch the site, some will be up soon. Meanwhile, here's some comments from a new OHP member and cast member of Lend Me A Tenor; Kim Becwar (Maria): "As the opening comes closer, I have mixed feelings. It will be good. It will be funny. I will hopefully get over my cold so everyone can hear whether I know my lines or not. It has been a pleasure to work with all of the cast and crew. Coming from the twin cities area, I have noticed some differences in the theatrical people here. For one thing, there are no pre-madonnas or big egos here. No one thinks they are better than anyone else.(at least, not out loud!) There were no tantrums through out rehearsal. I could tell you some stories about previous shows I have been in...but I digress. Everyone is genuine. This cast is funny, both on and off stage. They are talented, intelligent people.( and no one is paying me to say this) The show will be wonderful, and both the cast AND crew should be thanked for that. Everyone's Italian has come along way...not necessarily good, just a long way. (editorial note: In case you are wondering.. it's not supposed to be good, otherwise it would be!) I am sorry that it is almost over, and I won't get to see these people on a regular basis any more. Come out and see the show. You won't be sorry!"

Thursday 8 March - As we continue to work on perfecting all aspects of the wonderful show, the cast has come up with a way to make additional money for the OHP. We decided to make and market a tape called "Tenorcize" (al la "Jazzercize"). I think this final week is going to take five pounds off all of us. Not that I couldn't use that... Once you see the end of this show, you'll know why. The show is coming together wonderfully. Diane is fine tuning many aspects of the show that will have you wishing you could have at least a little break from laughter. Bring a tissue, you'll want to wipe your eyes and see every moment of the last 85 seconds. Be sure to get your tickets now. It would seem so pointless if we were having this much fun every night getting ready, and you didn't show up!

Monday 5 March - Here's a comment from Don Harstad, our very own author and light guy! - From the standpoint of someone who's been on the light crew many times since The Odd Couple in 1971, I've found that a show which can not only hold your attention through several rehearsals, but actually make you laugh every time, is a very good show, indeed. Lend Me A Tenor does just that. The cast is a delight to watch, not only because they give fine performances, but because they are also very obviously enjoying their work. I find myself anticipating particular scenes every night, and enjoying them every time. The director has an excellent sense of timing and pace, and communicates this to the cast with a mixture of traditional and her own unique directions that strike just the right cord. It's a fun play, and with this cast and director working together so well, it's a pleasure as well.

Saturday 3 March - Set details are being applied this weekend. I will attempt to get some photo's by early next week to give you a better feel for how the set is coming. As work continues on the set, I also continue to try to detail the web site. I have begun the setup of BIO pages online for our adult cast members. Check out this shows cast page. Each character and the director now has a link to their own BIO page. The BIO page will tell you a bit about our cast members, as well as list shows that they have been involved in. Many of the shows (if they are previous OHP shows) will link directly to the information we have online about that show. Brings back a lot of memories. Be sure to keep one or two of the above dates set aside so you can come and join with us as we create new memories. Laughter is the best medicine for the winter blahs!

Wednesday 28 February - Practices and set work continue. Most of the set structure is now down, and work on some particular set pieces is about to begin. Thanks to the hard work of many individuals, all the doors are slamming, and the first coats of paint are applied. Detail work begins now. Not only on the set, but on the production itself as well. We're all working on fine tuning our delivery, our entrances, our exits (lots of both of those in this show...) and all the things that make a show special. Lighting crew is hard at work making sure that things are setup the way they need to be. I'm beginning work on the sound system to make sure you catch every word. That's going to be difficult, because if we do this right, you'll be trying to hear things over your neighbor's laughter! It definitely is one of those shows you may want to plan on watching more than once just to catch everything.

Thursday 22 February - A comment from fellow cast member Katie Koehn (Maggie) - "After a long week of rehearsals after work, I'm looking forward to the weekend. I need to get re-acquainted with my husband, catch up on housekeeping, and play with my dog. The hard work has paid off, though. I'm really starting to get excited about this show as I see the lines, choreography and set coming together. I'm even getting used to the idea of being scantilly clad on stage! My only hope is that our audience will enjoy seeing Lend Me a Tenor as much as we're enjoying its preparation. I'm looking forward to seeing you all out there with tears in your eyes from laughing so hard!"

Wednesday 21 February - Good practice last night, even with our beloved Director under the weather. At least for once, the weather wasn't under us! After much discussion and schedule comparison, we've decided to show our sincere and unending dedication to this show by added extra rehearsals. In our unending desire to provide the public with a show they will walk away talking about, laughing about, and holding their sides about, we're putting aside our own busy schedules to make sure everything is just right. Okay... maybe the fact that we're having a great time has something to do with it! Let's put it this way... We're having a great time. Hope you'll be here!

Monday 19 February - Thanks to a lot of hard work over the weekend, the set is now taking shape. Walls are up, doors are in, and things are ready for first coats of paint. I always wonder if anyone realizes the amount of time even a "unit" (non-changing) set takes to prepare. I just saw on Oprah (I was just walking through the kitchen okay?!) that if you don't have an outlet for your passion (a hobby) you can add six years to your apparent chronological age. Interestingly enough we talked about that while we built set, listening to songs from musicals we've done in the past. It's good to know this is keeping us young! Any of you who need that outlet, feel free to talk to the OHP. This kind of joy is always a pleasure to share. The show is coming together, and so is the cast. Now if I could just get some of the rest of the cast and crew to send me some of their comments to share, I wouldn't end up waxing philosophical.

Tuesday 13 February - Well, I figured it was past time for an update. We've been through several rehearsals now, and the cast is getting to know each other, and the show. Between laughs that is. This is one of those shows where we have to stop laughing at the jokes so we can let the audience do so uninterupted. We're all learning some Italian, or should I say, Italian accents? Poor ones. Let's just say we'll all soon be graduates of that wonderful Italian University, Whatsamatta U. I'll have pictures up shortly. I took some tonight, and hope to catch more of the rest of the cast tomorrow. I'll post notice here as soon as I put up a page. Until then... check your calendar.

Friday 2 February - It's begun. The first rehearsal for Lend Me A Tenor was last night. Despite the cold, the atmosphere inside the Opera House was warm as the cast made introductions all around to the new members and returning members of the OHP family. Costume staff was there measuring and work has begun on set design as well. I have to make special note to give our sympathies to cast member Frank Davis (Tito Merelli) who fell and broke a rib earlier this week. The difficulty for him of course was attempting not to laugh as we did the first read through of the play! When he said the show was "killing him" he wasn't speaking figuratively. Set aside one of the show dates listed above, so you don't have to "kill yourself" for missing this one.

Wednesday 24 January - Obviously, as you can see by the site, the cast has been chosen. Yours truly, will have a chance on stage this time instead of in the Director's chair. Something I'm looking forward to. One interesting situation however, our esteemed director is not internet "enabled", thus instead of "Director's Notes" you'll have to put up with "Cast Notes". I suppose that means I'll have a harder time telling you how great the cast is doing. Either that, or you'll have a harder time believing me! <grin> Add into that the fact that at least 6, perhaps 7 of the cast members are online,and thus far, all of our crew, and we should be able to keep you up to date on the progress of Lend Me A Tenor without difficulty. Stay tuned.

Friday 19 January - Tryouts are officially over. There is, of course, still a lot of deciding to be done. The second night of tryouts went well with lots of familiar faces and several new ones. It's always good to see new people. Once again, the most difficult part of the night was keeping a straight face as we read parts of this show for tryouts. I'll stay in contact with the director, and try to keep you up to date on the progress of the show. Director Diane Fisk hopes to announce the cast for this show sometime after the weekend. I'll post it as soon as I can.