By Ken Ludwig
Directed by Julia Body
April 26 – May 11
It is 1934 and Saunders, the general manager of the Cleveland Grand Opera Company, is primed to welcome world-famous Tito Morelli, known as Il Stupendo, the greatest tenor of his generation, to appear for one night only as Otello. The star arrives late and, through a hilarious series of mishaps, is given a double dose of tranquilizers and passes out. His pulse is so low that Saunders believes he’s dead.
In a frantic attempt to salvage the evening, Saunders persuades his assistant, Max, to get into Morelli’s costume and fool the audience into thinking he’s Il Stupendo. Max succeeds admirably, but Morelli awakes and gets ready to perform. Now two Otellos are running around in costume and two women are running around in lingerie, each thinking she is with Il Stupendo. A sensation on Broadway and in London’s West End, this madcap, screwball comedy is guaranteed to leave audiences teary-eyed with laughter.