Heading the cast of the opera-based farce will be Mary Testa as Maria, Alison Fraser as Diana and Garrett Long as Maggie. David Saint will direct the production, which runs at the New Jersey theatre February 8-March 6, 2005.
Lend Me a Tenor, which takes place in Cleveland's high society circa 1930s, tells of the Cleveland Opera Company and their frantic push to get their production of Otello up, after their imported Italian star "Il Stupendo" dies.
Alison Fraser received Tony nominations for her performances in Romance/Romance and The Secret Garden, and her other Broadway credits include The Mystery of Edwin Drood and the 1996 revival of Tartuffe. She created the role of Trina in William Finn's In Trousers and March of the Falsettos and reprised that role in the anniversary concert for Playwrights Horizons. Her other Off-Broadway credits include roles in Up Against It, The Green Heart, Beehive and Swingtime Canteen. Fraser most recently starred in the George Street 's production of Lips Together, Teeth Apart.
On Broadway Mary Testa has been seen in Barnum, Marilyn, The Rink, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, On the Town, Marie Christine and 42nd Street, earning Tony nominations for her work in On the Town and 42nd Street. Recently seen Off-Broadway in String of Pearls, her other theatre credits include The Vagina Monologues, The Wax, From Above (Obie Award), Lucky Stiff, In Trousers, Tartuffe and On the Town (Obie Award).
Garrett Long starred in The Spitfire Grill at the George Street and at Playwrights Horizons and also played Gertrude McFuzz in the national tour of Seussical. Lend Me a Tenor was produced in London by Andrew Lloyd Webber's Really Useful Company, and was nominated for the Olivier Award for Best Play. It opened on Broadway in March 1989 staring Victor Garber, Philip Bosco and Tovah Feldshuh and was nominated for seven Tony Awards, including Best Play. In addition to winning two Tony Awards, it received four Drama Desk Awards, and three Outer Critics Circle Awards. It has had a rich international life in stock, regional and amateur theatres.
The George Street Playhouse is located in New Jersey at 9 Livingston Avenue. Tickets are available by calling (732) 246-7717 or by visiting www.georgestplayhouse.org.
