The play is set in the opera world of the 1930s. Tito “Il Stupendo” Morelli (Kevin McCaw), the greatest tenor of his generation, is to appear for one night only to perform “Otello” at the Cleveland Grand Opera Company, which is managed by Saunders (Dan Meiller) with the help of his nerdy factotum and whipping boy, Max (Eric Swanson), who’s got some aspirations of his own.

“The tenor is like a rock star of the 30s,” Paul Towne says. “He loves his woman and he loves his alcohol.”

The witty, wacky misadventures that precede and follow Morelli’s appearance at the opera company involve battling the feminine wiles of his long‑suffering wife Maria (Maria Grimmelmann); an opportunistic soprano named Diana (Betsy Lowry) looking to use the tenor’s bed as a stepping stone; and Saunders’ daughter Maggie (Cassie Ellis) who, with her schoolgirl crush on Tito, is “a sweet young thing who wants to have her fling,” according to Betty Towne.

Toss in a few tranquilizers, some lingerie, a little music and a bumbling bellhop, played by Boulder Creek High School sophomore Tyler Wilson, who acted Scrooge in Starlight’s musical production of  “A Christmas Carol” last winter, and you’ve got a ready‑made mix of ingredients for a comic souffle that is bound to collapse with riotous results.

The bellhop character is a “sassy‑mouth know‑it‑all,” Betty Towne says, “and a wannabe opera star.” So, her husband Paul adds, “watch out for some scene stealing by Tyler.”

“There are a lot of talented people who are attracted to community theater,” says Paul Towne.  And although the atmosphere of community theater is, according to Paul Towne, “no experience necessary,” Starlight’s “Tenor” is animating  its screwball characters with scrutable talent.    

“Max is kind of a dogsbody,” says Eric Swanson, 27, of Anthem, who is playing the role. “He does Saunders’ bidding, but he aspires to be a great opera singer and he’s looking for an opportunity.”

Swanson, who appeared in his Auwatukee high school production of “The Sound of Music” in 1997, is mainly a singer, he says,  but “Tenor” is his “chance to branch out from music” and do some acting.  He auditioned for “Lend Me a Tenor” to get the acting experience because he was “really looking forward to trying out for Starlight’s ‘The Music Man.’”

“Playing Max is one of my most challenging roles,” Swanson says. “He runs the whole gamut of emotions. He hits the lows and the highs, one to the other, in just minutes.

Max’s boss, Saunders the General Manager, is played by Anthem resident Dan Meiller, who has been active in community theater for 30 years. He even met his wife, Pat Drapac, who plays Julia the pushy, sophisticated chairwoman of the opera company in “Tenor,” while doing community theater.

The madcap antics of mistaken identity, misunderstandings and missteps that make up the play’s plot recall other popular farces, such as Michael Frayn’s “Noises Off,” which Peter Bogdanovich  made into a film in 1992  with Carol Burnett and an extremely frazzled Michael Caine as a theater producer trying to keep his production together–a situation very similar to Saunders’ own in “Tenor.”

“Saunders is completely beside himself,” Meiller says, “with events conspiring against him to keep his gala event from coming off. He’s volatile, and he’s upset a lot. Personally, I’m not like that at all. But it’s a lot of fun.”

“I wanted to do ‘Tenor’ because I was familiar with Ludwig’s work and it’s a very, very funny play,” Paul Towne says. “And it was not too big of a cast and was fairly simple in terms of set design and other production elements.”

Although putting the play on stage does present a few costume challenges because it is a period piece and involves disguises. But luckily, he says, “Other theater groups were very helpful to us. Desert Foothills Theater provided some costumes and props, and Tempe Little Theatre, who just finished their own production of ‘Tenor,’ supplied the ‘Otello’ costumes.”

Lend me a costume. Lend me a prop. Lend me a tenor.

Now that’s community theater.

Starlight Community Theater’s “Lend Me a Tenor” takes the stage at 7:30 p.m. on May 18‑20 at Boulder Creek High School Performing Arts Center, 40404 N. Gavilan Peak Parkway in Anthem. Tickets are $10 in advance at the Anthem Community Center, Curves and Our Kitchen to Yours, and $12 at the door. Due to the mature nature of the play, this show is not suitable for children under 13. Package deals including tickets and dinners at Franco’s Ristorante in Anthem are available. For information, call (623) 566‑7991 or e‑mail starlighttheater@hotmail.com.

Reach the reporter at cmoore@ thedesertadvocate.com.