The fall play, Lend Me a Tenor, will soon begin its two-night run in the VPM auditorium on Nov 8 and 9th. The play centers around an Opera company that encounters issues with their lead tenor Tito Merelli in the leadup to a performance of Pagliacci. As the cast nears the end of their production journey, I sat down with them and asked some questions about the play, their experiences making it, and what to expect as an audience member going in Friday and Saturday night. 

Q: Describe the Play in 3 Words

Lars McKillop (Max): Funny, Outrageous, and Dramatic

Marguerite Penning (Maggie Saunders): Funny, Unpredictable, and Farcical

Ben Thom (Henry Saunders): Outrageous, Romantic, and humorous

Daniel Mueller (Tito Merelli): Rambunctious, Rapid, and Goofy

Varnika Arianathan (Maria Merelli): Freaky, Italian, Silly

Zane Yeazel (The Bellhop): Silly, extraneous romances

Nylah Kleiss (Diana): Sexy, operatic, gesticulations, 

Mable Miller (Julia Levrett): Very interesting characters

What has been your favorite part of preparing for the play?

Lars: Really discovering Max as a character. I feel like he’s very similar to how I used to act and finding that part of myself again was really fun.

Marguerite: I’ve really enjoyed connecting with the cast members. I was already friends with a lot of them because of theater, but just getting to get to know them better and getting closer with them was very special!

Ben: Any time when we have little breaks and when we’re goofing off, having fun, talking about random stuff, and getting to bond as a group– those are the parts of the play I really value.

Daniel: My favorite part of preparing for the play was finding all of the unique ways in which I am able to challenge myself with this role. There’s a lot that I’ve been unfamiliar with exploring in previous roles that I was able to explore with this role and I found that very exciting!

Varnika: My favorite part about preparing for the play was getting to experience how it actually feels to experience a theater production!

Zane: The process of putting together another show. With every show I’ve done at this school, I’ve loved just seeing it come together as we slowly get better at things and slowly are able to do more and more of the show. This show is similar to Rumors (VPM’s 2023 Fall Play) in some ways, but it is also different, with some of the same people and some new ones as well, which is great! It’s been great to be able to do a new show with some familiar elements in it. 

Nylah: Mine is similar to Ben’s, I just love being around everyone, I think everyone’s so nice and so fun and I just like being around you (laughs).

Mable: My favorite part of preparing for the show is the feeling of when you act something out in a way that it wasn’t written and Eliav (the director) likes it or Laurel (the stage manager) giggles a little at it– that just feels really rewarding.

If you had to choose one character to be trapped alone on a desert island, who would you choose and why?

Lars: I would wanna be trapped on an island with Maggie, because I think she’s the sweetest and most empathetic of all the characters.

Marguerite: Gosh, maybe Maria? She’s the most rational thinking, so we’d probably get off the island faster.

Ben: Although he’s not an amazing person, I think being on an island with Tito would be really funny– and also, like, you could learn a little bit from Tito. He’s been in the business for a while.

Lars: The business of being on an island?

Everyone: (Laughs)

Ben: No, no, the business of being a singer. If we’re stuck there for a while, you could be like: “Any tips?” 

Nylah: (laughs) How’s that gonna help you on an island?

Ben: I don’t know. If you’re stuck there for a while, you might as well have some fun!

Daniel: I had a hard time framing this question in my mind, and so I had to frame it as: “Who is the least likely to eat me?” and I’d say that’s Maggie. Anyone else, given enough time… 

Lars: I feel like Max wouldn’t eat you. I feel like Max would offer himself to you.

Daniel: I don’t know how to feel about that.

Varnika: I would wanna be stuck on a desert island with Julia, because I think that if I’m on a desert island with her, I’d probably end up climbing trees and getting coconuts or something. 

Zane: In character [as the bellhop], I’d totally go with Saunders to see who dies first (laughs). But out of character, I think I’d also go with Tito because I’d want to extort singing lessons from him. I’m with Ben on this one.

Nylah: I think I’d also go with Maria. Every time she’s on stage, I’m like, “I would love to know this person in real life. She has her opinion, she knows what she’s thinking, she’s not afraid to tell everyone, and she’s not afraid to act on it when everyone else is doing their own thing. I need that on a desert island (laugh).

Mable: I would go with the bellhop, because I think we could gossip good, and also I think he has these little skills, like he could carry stuff and make drinks and stuff.

Seniors, how has this experience compared to your past VPM drama experiences?

Lars: So, I started last year. So not that much different (laugh). But it’s making me think a lot about the fact that this is the last fall play I’ll ever get to do. This show is pretty similar to Rumors, which is the first fall play I did, and it’s weird to be like: “I’m never gonna have a show that’s quite like this, with people quite like this.” So it’s a little sad.

Ben: Having never done a play before, I’ve only been in the musical side of things, and this year, I decided: “Hey, might as well try the play, it’s my senior year.” And it’s been very fun, but very difficult moving away from, like, there’s not a song at the end of every scene. You just talk, you don’t sing, just talk (laugh). So it’s a little funny moving away from that, but it’s very entertaining.

Nylah: I also have not been in the theater program for very long, I haven’t been involved in theater in any capacity since last spring. But I really like all the people involved with it– I don’t think I’ve had any truly bad experiences with anyone, everyone’s so supportive. I feel truly lucky that I’m able to do this my senior year and that I get to be an upperclassman for other people, but I also get to be new to it and learn from all these people younger than me who’ve been doing it longer. I’m really excited for the rest of the year.

Without spoilers, what is one thing you want people to know about the play?

Lars: I want them to know that the people on the stage are a family. So even when on stage, there’s a lot of drama, I want them to know that our whole cast is really together. I’ve truly never felt closer to a group of people.

Marguerite: On stage, all of us have great chemistry as actors together, whether that’s pitted against each other or with each other, and we’ve put a lot of work into developing that and the play as a whole.

Ben: On a less serious side, I want people to know that– a lot of school plays are, like, Macbeth, or a more serious drama or something. This is not that. This is a show that is not meant to be taken seriously and does not take itself seriously. This is a rambunct-u-ous comedy, and I think everyone should come see it because I think everyone has something to enjoy in this show.

Daniel: Whatever your expectations for what this show may be, be prepared to get them shattered.

Varnika: Bring your children!

Zane: Everyone in this show hates service workers. Saunders is a jerk. Be on the Bellhop’s side!

Nylah: We had to dedicate at least 4 hours to learn exaggerated Italian accents.

Mable: I think that while we’re all here in the play because we love acting, we’re also here for you, the audience, so feel free to react! It’s a funny play, so don’t be quiet– laugh!

Buy tickets now at memorial.ludus.com!