Ken Ludwig's hit comedy Lend Me a Tenor is still going strong in Austria.
The German title Otello darf nicht platzen (roughly translated into: "Othello must not bust") opened at Salzburg's Landestheater Nov. 15.
The German title has mysteriously lost an "h" in this production, but judging from the show's success in Vienna and Graz, the Landestheater in Salzburg can offer a veritable comedy hit to its audiences.
Ken Ludwig's Olivier-winning comedy about a hard-to-handle star tenor has proved to be a big drawing card on comedy stages around the world, but Vienna's Kammerspiele may top all others. Here, Othello darf nicht platzen has been part of the repertory since 1990 and all of the more than 300 performances have played to capacity houses.
Graz saw its premiere of Otello on Oct. 8. However, both the Graz and Salzburg productions have had to make do without Otto Schenk. One of Austria's most popular actors and a famous director of operas around the world, Schenk has been playing the lead role of "Tito Merelli" for the last seven years in Vienna. Tickets and performance dates:
Salzburger Landestheater: +43-662-87 15 12 0
Schauspielhaus Graz: +43-316-80 05
Kammerspiele Wien: +43-1-42 700-300
By Bernd Freimueller
Austria Correspondent