Ken Ludwig Comedy on the Stark Stage

Ken Ludwig’s uproarious comedy, A Comedy of Tenors, will come to life on the Stark Stage at Riverside Theatre from February 21 through March 12.

Written in 2018 by one of America’s most prolific playwrights, A Comedy of Tenors tells the tale of romantic indiscretions and madcap situations. Set in 1930s Paris on the eve of the concert of the century, the city is abuzz as four renown tenors are set to take the stage. What could possibly go wrong? Apparently a lot, when you have one hotel suite, four tenors, two wives, and three girlfriends. Can producer Henry Saunders keep Italian superstar Tito Merelli and his hot-blooded wife from causing operatic chaos?

The play is a “sequel” to Ludwig’s wildly successful 1989 comedy, Lend Me a Tenor. While not originally a fan of sequels, Ludwig sat in the audience of the Broadway revival of his award-winning play in 2010 and could see how the audience enjoyed being in the company of his old friends from the Cleveland Grand Opera Company.

“What if I wrote a play about these characters two years after the end of Lend me Tenor?” Ludwig said. “Where would Max be? Would he be singing for a living? Would Max and his girlfriend be married? What about world famous opera star Tito Merelli and his wife Maria? Would they still be together?”

The more he thought, the more he wanted to find out the next chapter in these character’s lives. However, he wanted to make A Comedy of Tenors independent of his earlier play.

“The writing of A Comedy of Tenors has turned out to be more fun than I’d ever imagined,” Ludwig continued. “I thought I had said goodbye to the characters in Lend Me A Tenor when the play first opened on Broadway so many years ago, but A Comedy of Tenors has allowed me to spend time again with some of my very best friends.  It’s been like going to the best college reunion ever.”

Tickets for the performances start at $45 and can be purchased by calling the box office at (772) 231-6990 or online.

Performances are Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays at 7:30 p.m.; Fridays and Saturdays at p.m.; and matinees on Wednesdays, select Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays at 2 p.m.