SYNOPSIS
Lend Me A tenor is a perfect play on love and honesty, although the latter is not well addressed. From the beginning, it is clear that Maggie and Max’s relationship is not that solid. On the one hand, Maggie is obsessed with Tito, the tenor, even though she has not yet met him. On the other hand, Max is distraught by his girlfriend’s extreme obsession with Tito. Throughout the play, it is clear just how much Maggie is obsessed with Tito. When she gets the chance to speak to who she thinks is Tito but is actually Max, she visibly throws herself at him, letting him have his way with her. Eventually, she and Max end up sleeping together when he is still dressed as Pagliaccio. Maggie is in love with Tito’s singing and Tito himself. Hence, her desire to meet with him and even get intimate with him. However, she appears dishonest when she embraces and kisses Max at the end of the play, even after discovering he was the one she slept with and not Tito. She might be glad to have shared the moment with Max, but her initial intent was to be with Tito. Max is a dedicated assistant to Saunders. However, he is shy, and it is only through Tito’s help that he overcomes his fear of singing. Just like Maggie, Max’s actions are questionable. He dresses as Pagliaccio and even performs at the opera. However, he goes ahead to sleep with Maggie knowing very well that she thinks he is Tito. This is also a dishonest move on his part as he fails to disclose who he is or stop Maggie’s advances. Tito is the tenor who has been hired by the opera. He is a generally honest character apart from his wanton love for women. He manages to sleep with Diana, the soprano, but only after his wife has left him. When the wife returns, however, he embraces her, and they leave together. Diana is demanding and uses her sexuality to get what she wants. However, she is also focused on her career because, as seen, she is focused on getting Tito’s opinion of her performance. Tito’s wife, Maria, is calm and funny. She supports her husband but does to tolerate his wandering eye. However, she is forgiving because, as seen towards the end of the play, she comes back hoping for another chance with Tito. Julia is the chairman of the opera guild. She is intent on letting the night’s performance proceed as planned. She also wants Tito to meet the audience. So, she does everything to convince him to perform and also interact with her audience. The bellhop is a big fan of Tito. He wants to meet him as much as everyone else. So, he keeps bothering Saunders for an opportunity to meet Tito. Saunders is the manager of the opera company. Like Julia, he is also intent on having Tito perform that night. However, his role is more crucial since he has to ensure Tito is prepared for the performance. Saunders is undoubtedly a daring man because, as seen, he manages to convince Max to take on Tito’s role as the tenor.
SET
ü A hotel suite with a sitting room, bedroom, kitchenette, and bathroom.
ü A sofa, coffee table, and pouf.
ü A sitting room/corridor door.
ü A bedroom/corridor door.
ü A door connecting the sitting room to the bedroom.
ü A door to the bathroom.
ü A door to the closet.
ü A door to the kitchenette.
ü A window in the sitting room.
COSTUMES
ü A pair of glasses, a scarf, a hat, a coat, and a fur stole.
ü Two clown costumes and hats to be worn by Tito and Max.
ü Two sets of white ties and tails to be worn by Saunders and Max.
ü A nightie to be worn by Diana.
ü A towel to be worn by Diana.
ü Make-up to be put on by Tito and Max.
ü A dress to be worn by Maggie.
LIGHTS
ü One set of lights for the entire set – the lights to fade out at the end of each scene.
SOUND
ü A media player for songs, voices, and sound recordings – to be used to play duets in the background, and other background sounds.
ü Door knocks at different parts of the play.
ü Banging on the door twice in the play.
ü Phone rings in various parts of the play.
Props
ü A phone, phone book, bowl of fruits, cutlery, a vase of flowers, pen, and paper.
ü Two suitcases and a vanity case for Tito and Maria respectively.
ü Two bottles of pills for Saunders and Tito each.
ü A bottle of wine, two wine glasses, and a corkscrew to be used by Tito and Max.
ü A handbag and a purse for Maggie and Diana, respectively.
ü An ice bucket and a bottle of champagne to be carried by the bellhop.
ü A tray and coffee service to be carried by the bellhop.
ü A red rose for Maggie.
ü A camera for the bellhop.