Kennedy Rowley
eSomethin Editor-in-Chief
The play “Lend Me A Tenor” is set in Cleveland, Ohio 1934, in the hotel room of Tito Merelli (Max Baca), a famous Italian singer. It starts off in the elegant hotel suite with Max Garber (Evan Boyers), the assistant to Saunders (Owen Dennis). Max is trying to convince Maggie Saunders (Grace Ermie) to marry him, even though she already declined the proposal.
Maggie talks of dreaming to see Tito again after meeting him in Italy last year with her father, Saunders. In her meeting with Tito, she receives a kiss upon her hand, which left her wanting something “wonderful and romantic” in her life — unlike what she had going with Max.
Her only chance to see Tito is ruined when Saunders tells her to leave before Tito arrives.
When Tito appear he was sick and refuses to take medicine, but eventually, his wife, Maria Merelli (Rowan Creps), convinced him to take two doses, but instead he takes four.
Max, unaware Tito already took medicine, tries his best to be a good assistant, decides to drug Tito’s drink with even more medicine.
At the same time, Maggie goes against her father’s wishes and takes matters into her own hands to see Tito, hiding in the closet. Her master plan does not go as planned when she is found by Maria, who assumes Maggie and Tito had an affair. The plot thickens from there, full of humorous moments that leave the audience on the edge of their seats.
Perrysburg High School’s performance of the show marks director Rob Gentry’s 100th production at the high school.
Rowan Creps did a fantastic job portraying Maria Merelli, using a convincing Italian accent. Throughout the play Creps never broke character and had many strong acting moments, like when she found Maggie in the closet, prompting laughter from the crowd.
Evan Boyer’s portrayal of Max Garber was also strong. When playing his character, Boyers had to use both Italian and American accents.
Max Baca played the role of Tito, one of the funniest characters in the show. Baca did a great job portraying Tito’s cluelessness, causing the audience to laugh numerous times
The performance of “Lend Me a Tenor” marked the 100th show Mr. Rob Gentry as director at Perrysburg High School. It also marks Gentry’s final fall play, because at the end of this year he is retiring.
During the first performance of “Lend Me a Tenor” Dr. Michael Short, the school’s principal came onto the stage to offer Gentry congratulations on his 100th show. It was announced that there will be “The Gentry Fund” to help fund the theatre department. Gentry will be greatly missed at PHS, and will be remembered for years to come.
Student directors Clara Burkin, Sarah Deeb, Diego Diaz, and Luke Knight did a great job on the show. They poured many hours into the show and which can definitely be seen. The choices that they made alongside Mr. Gentry were phenomenal.
The tech crew of this production also deserves recognition. The set was very realistic and matched the show. The sound was clear; the actors could be heard in the audience and there was never a moment of wonder as to what a character said. The lighting in the show was so good, it could go unnoticed because of how seamless transitions were.
Overall, “Lend Me a Tenor” was another great Perrysburg High School Production. It will be remembered as the 100th show that Gentry directed, which is very impressive. Also it will be remembered as the first show many have seen since COVID. It is amazing how this show turned out so spectacular in the middle of pandemic.
Other reviews on eSomethin
