In a suite at a grand Cleveland hotel, opera director Lucille Wylie is impatiently awaiting the arrival of the celebrated soprano Elena Firenzi. A guest performance of the opera "Carmen" is about to begin at her theater, and the renowned Elena Firenzi will be singing the title role. But the star and her husband are running late. No sooner have they arrived at the hotel than an argument between the couple escalates into a jealous rage, and the diva is subsequently found unconscious in bed, having overdosed on sleeping pills.

To save the performance, Mrs. Wylie's shy assistant, Jo, is tasked with stepping into the famous woman's high heels. When the prima donna awakens, a whirlwind of mistaken identities ensues, involving the two women and the distraught husband. Add to that a fiery tenor and another persistent admirer, both demanding attention and the spotlight in this spectacle… What was planned as a glamorous premiere quickly descends into a nerve-wracking improvisation behind the scenes. Because in the end, only one thing matters: the performance must not be canceled.

With "Lend Me a Soprano," Ken Ludwig presents a turbulent farce from the world of opera, essentially the female answer to the international comedy hit "Lend Me a Soprano," which enjoyed cult status at the Josefstadt Theatre's Kammerspiele for many years. Dominic Oley, who recently brought "Sherlock Holmes" and "The Great Dictator" to the stage with great wit, directs this fast-paced comedy about mistaken identity, deception, and theater within a theater.

(Source: josefstadt.org)