Four tenors. Two wives. Three girlfriends. One very crowded hotel suite. Pentacle Theatre brings Ken Ludwig’s madcap play A Comedy of Tenors to life this October.
Set in 1930s Paris, the story follows Italian opera star Tito Merelli as he prepares for a career-defining concert. Of course, nothing goes according to plan. With wives, girlfriends, and rivalries colliding inside one hotel suite, the stage is primed for an evening of escalating chaos.
For director Jennifer Gimzewski, Ken Ludwig’s brand of comedy is a familiar world. She directed Lend Me a Tenor and Leading Ladies, both by Ken Ludwig, at Pentacle in the past few years.
“His sense of humor and comedic timing really appealed to me,” Jennifer said. “In both cases, the audiences seemed to have such a fun time that when I read A Comedy of Tenors, it seemed like the perfect play to bring to the stage at Pentacle Theatre. … If a play makes me laugh out loud as I am reading it, I use that as an indication that it has struck a nerve with me, and it might be a good one to share with our community. Laughter is something we all have in common.”
Comedy, however, requires more than clever lines; it also requires concentration and physicality from the cast and backstage crew, said Jennifer, who’s coached her cast to approach the material with sincerity, trusting that the humor emerges.
“As we rehearse, the timing and humor reveal themselves in the delivery of the lines. It is all about finding the emotion,” she said. “One thing I tell the actors is not to play for laughs. I have found that if the actors stick to the script, feel the emotion, and trust in the writing, the humor will naturally develop. Laughter can't be forced.”
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Vicki Woods
Pentacle Theatre: A Comedy of Tenors
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Pentacle Theatre: A Comedy of Tenors
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Vicki Woods
Pentacle Theatre: A Comedy of Tenors
Beyond the natural humor of things, the rehearsal process has brought its share of surprises.
“I thought initially that one of the challenges would be to find wonderful actors who also happened to be tenors. I realised after we held auditions that I didn't need singers, as long as I had wonderful actors. And I do! I have three fantastic actors, who are also singers, but not necessarily tenors, so we improvised and found a way around the singing. Again, the emotion and trusting in the script has carried us along.”
That mix of hurdles and happy surprises is part of what makes community theater so rewarding, and for Jennifer, it’s also what gives Pentacle its heart.
“...you take a group of very talented people who have never necessarily even met before, and by opening night, you have a family of dear friends who have together created a funny and heartwarming piece of theater to share with the community. The magic of theater.”
And just as the cast finds connection while creating the show, Jennifer hopes theatergoers will share in that sense of joy.
“I hope that by the end of the play our audience will have had a good laugh and have had their spirits lifted. These are difficult times and I feel it is important that we come together to share positive experiences. Theater can bring us all together, and in A Comedy of Tenors, the audience will see how misunderstandings can be resolved and worries and cares can be overcome with love and laughter.”
Pentacle Theatre presents A Comedy of Tenors
When: 7:30 p.m. Oct 3-4, 9-11, 16-18, 23-25, and 2 p.m. Oct 5, 12, and 18
Where: Pentacle Theatre, 324 52nd Ave NW
Tickets start at $20. Click here for tickets.