Lend Me a Tenor, Starring Anthony LaPaglia and Tony Shalhoub, Returns to Broadway

Anthony LaPaglia, Tony Shalhoub, Jan Maxwell and more will be among the stars taking the stage as Ken Ludwig's Lend Me a Tenor makes its way back to Broadway this spring. The comedy revival, directed by film and stage star Stanley Tucci, begins performances at the Music Box Theatre on March 11, 2010, and will officially open on April 4.

Joining LaPaglia (Tito Merelli), Shalhoub (Saunders) and Maxwell (Maria) are Brooke Adams (Julia), Mary Catherine Garrison (Maggie), Jennifer Laura Thompson (Diana) and Jay Klaitz (The Bellhop). Additional casting will be announced shortly.

Set in the 1930s, Lend Me a Tenor is a madcap screwball comedy that takes place when Tito Merelli, the fiery-tempered and world famous Italian superstar, arrives in Cleveland, Ohio to make his debut with the local opera and promptly goes missing. As Saunders, the show's presenter, conspires to cover for Tito’s absence, placate his hot-blooded wife, and distract his most passionate fans, chaos on a truly operatic level ensues.

Lend Me a Tenor made its Broadway debut on March 2, 1989, at the Royale Theatre, starring Philip Bosco, Jane Connell, Tovah Feldshuh, Victor Garber, Ron Hotgate and J. Smith-Cameron. The production won two Tony Awards before closing on April 22, 1990, after 476 performances.

LaPaglia is an Emmy and Tony Award-winning actor best known on Broadway for performances in The Rose Tattoo and his Tony-winning turn in A View From the Bridge. Film credits include So I Married an Axe Murderer, Lantana, The Architect, Played and Balibo. He has spent seven seasons starring on the CBS drama Without a Trace.

Shalhoub is most recognizable to audiences as the Emmy Award winning star of the USA TV series Monk. On Broadway, he gave a Tony Award nominated turn in Conversations With My Father, and has been seen in The Heidi Chronicles and The Odd Couple. His numerous film credits include Primary Colors, Men in Black, Thir13en Ghosts, Life or Soemthing Like It, Party Animals, Against the Ropes and Cars.

Maxwell most recently appeared on Broadway in The Royal Family. A two-time Tony Award nominee, she has also been seen in City of Angels, Dancing at Lughnasa, A Doll's House, The Sound of Music, The Dinner Party, Match, Coram Boy, Sixteen Wounded, To Be Or Not To Be and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

Adams, who met husband Shalhoub on Broadway in The Heidi Chronicles, is a TV and film regular. Credits include Man on Fire, The Last Hit, The Baby-Sitters Club, Frasier, Wings, At Last, The Accidental Husband, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and Monk. Lend Me a Tenor marks her return to Broadway.

Garrison's Broadway credits include The Man Who Came to Dinner, Assassins, Rabbit Hole, Top Girls and Accent on Youth. In 2000 she appeared in the TV adaptation of The Man Who Came to Dinner, going on to be seen in Law & Order, Third Watch, The Partners, How to Deal, Lipstick Jungle, 30 Rock and The Good Wife.

Thompson received a Tony Award nomination for her performance in Broadway's Urinetown, in a role she originated off-Broadway. Additional Broadway credits include Footloose and Wicked. Off-Broadway, she has been featured in Little Fish and A Doll's Life, and has been seen in the national tours of Carousel, Jesus Christ Superstar and The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber.

Klaitz made his Broadway debut in High Fidelity. He has been seen on screen in Law & Order, Super Powers and Frozen River.

The show's design and creative team includes John Lee Beatty (set designer), Kenneth Posner (lighting design), Martin Pakledinaz, (costume design), Peter Hylenski (sound design) and David Loud (musical supervisor).