By Susie Tommaney

Ken Ludwig's Lend Me a Tenor tells the story of a world-famous Italian opera singer, Tito Merelli, also known as "Il Stupendo." When he's unable to take the stage in Giuseppe Verdi's Otello, an unwitting theater staffer steps in, resulting in a door-slamming farce of mistaken identities, crossed wires and romantic overtures. "I think Ken Ludwig...is looking at the subtext that he is poking fun at stereotypes," says producer Michael Montgomery.

Directed by Julie Akers, the troupe has found a creative solution to the controversial blackface element written into the play, as Shakespeare's Othello, with North African roots, was a Moorish general.

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Source: http://www.houstonpress.com/