My expectations for Clovis North High School’s production of Lend Me A Tenor were high as I was navigated my way to the small setting of the Dan Pessano Theater. After previously attending the school’s version of Grease, I believed that Clovis North would not be able to surpass its previous level of magnificence.

However, I was wrong. Lend Me A Tenor had me hooked at the first punchline. The show premiered at the Dan Pessano Theater in Clovis North’s Performing Arts Center, Feb. 10. The show ran, Feb. 17-18.

Lend Me A Tenor follows Clevelend Opera Company manager Saunders (Kevin Palacios) as he tries to have the amazing opera singer Tito Morelli (Jacob Watkins) perform in the theatre. However, when chaos ensues and Tito is thought to be dead, a nervous amateur assistant is forced to impersonate and sing in place of the opera legend.

The entire production takes place in a hotel suite in the year 1934. The famous Italian opera singer Tito Morelli is set to sing lead in Othello for the Clevelend Opera Company’s fundraiser gala. Tito and his wife Maria (Kalina Venugopal) make themselves at home in the hotel suite.

When a fan of his makes an appearance in the hotel room, Maria mistakes her to be Tito’s mistress. She writes a note saying that she is leaving her husband, then storms out of the hotel with her belongings.

A distraught Tito complains to an assistant at the opera house named Max (Daniel Fisher). In attempt to calm Tito, Max gives him sleeping pills, but the dosage is accidentally doubled. When a seemingly-dead Tito Morelli is found in the hotel suite, a frenzy unleashes in order to replace Tito for the gala.

The talent was incredible. I was familiar with the actors already because nearly all the cast had appeared in Grease. The two main characters, played by Watkins and Fisher, ushered in the majority of the laughter with their uproarious lines and behaviors.

Another favorite of mine was Tito’s wife, Maria. Venugopal played this animated Italian woman with a strong accent. Her character brought a lot of life to the play and made it much more enjoyable.

I really love the humor in this play. I found myself laughing quite hard most of the time. However, a lot of the humor implies inappropriate things, but then ends up as being just a trick to make the audience expect innuendo. These were a key role in the humor, but most this did not last for too long.

Since the Dan Pessano Theatre is small, I could see how size could be a problem for other productions. However, I felt that this was the perfect setting for Lend Me a Tenor play. The intimate feeling felt homely, and I could not picture this play taking place on a larger stage since the whole setting happens in a hotel.

The room’s interior definitely looked like it was from the 1930s. The furniture, paintings and an old phonograph playing music from that decade set the tone. The costumes were awesome. The women had their hair curled and flowing with a side part, which completed the suits and dresses of that era. The men wore suits with vests and suspenders and a few wore fedoras.

I would recommend this play to an audience of at least 13, due to some of the humor. Also a majority of this production’s humor would only be understood by an older age.

I honestly do not have anything to complain about for this play. I liked everything about it and thoroughly enjoyed the production and all it’s aspects. The comedy was great, and the acting was great. All the people who had an opportunity to see this were lucky, and if you have a chance to see a showing of this, I recommend you take it.

For more drama reviews, read the Feb. 2 article, Seemingly dark plot lights up stage.