ANNA MARIA – The Island Players are about to open the fourth play of their 73rd season with a production of Ken Ludwig’s “A Comedy of Tenors.” Directed by Preston Boyd, who has been involved in area theater since the early 1980s, this sequel to Ludwig’s highly successful “Lend Me a Tenor” promises to bring plenty of laughs.
“It’s typical farce, a lot of doors open that shouldn’t open and people see things that they shouldn’t be seeing,” Boyd said. “Sometimes the doors slam into people’s faces, and the wrong people are in the wrong clothes. If we don’t get laughs on this one, something’s wrong.”
The play’s description reads, “What could possibly go wrong in one hotel suite with two wives, three girlfriends and four tenors about to perform the concert of the century with a soccer stadium filled with fans? Just love affairs, mistaken identities and comic chaos.”
The cast was chosen by Boyd and includes James Thaggard as Saunders, Mikey Lynch as Max, Valerie Lipscomb as Maria, John Andruzzi as Tito/Beppo, Katie Zanders as Mimi, Colin Brady as Carlo and Sharon Bartley as Racon. Boyd’s wife, Priscilla, is the stage manager of this play.
“A Comedy of Tenors” will run from March 3-15 at the Island Playhouse, 10009 Gulf Drive in Anna Maria. Tickets are on sale now for $25 at the box office, located at the main entrance of the theater. Box office hours are Monday – Saturday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The phone number is 941-778-5755 and the website is www.theislandplayers.org.
For everyone’s protection, masks are required and hand sanitizer will be available. Additional parking is available at CrossPointe Fellowship, 8605 Gulf Drive. The AMI free trolley stops in front of the church and runs about every 20 minutes north toward the theater.