Lend Me a Tenor dress rehearsal;
Credit: Elza Osmane, Chronicle.lu
On Wednesday 26 November 2025, Chronicle.lu attended the dress rehearsal of the Luxembourg-based New World Theatre Club’s (NWTC) amateur production of Lend Me a Tenor, which will run from Thursday 27 to Sunday 30 November at the Centre Culturel Cessange (1 Rue St Joseph).
This English-language show is performed by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French Inc.
Set in 1934, the madcap comedy follows the chaos that unfolds when the famous opera singer Tito Merelli, played by Artemios Vogiatzis, is mistakenly presumed dead just hours before a major performance, prompting his mousy assistant Max, portrayed by Samuel Pelan, to step in and “save the day”.
The actors were seated among the audience rows, and the production opened with a conversation between Maggie (Evangelia Lykou) and Max, accompanied by Italian music. This immediately broke the barrier between the audience and show. Moments later, the pair moved onto the stage to continue the play.
The theatre hall, although very humble, suited the production well, as the story is set in the era. The stage was designed as a single room divided into two sections, featuring a bed on one side and a double-seated armchair on the other. The set was not overly decorated, but key props included classic wooden furniture, an early desk telephone, a bed with a satin bedsheet, draped curtains and a large vintage radio.
The eight-actor play featured quick-witted exchanges throughout. Scenes between the couple of Tito and Maria (Marina Anastasilaki) included a few Italian phrases and, even when speaking English, both performers used a strong accent to even better reflect an iconic Italian attitude. The cast performed without microphones, relying entirely on their natural voices.
The lighting setup helped distinguish the different areas of the stage, highlighting either the bedroom or the living room. Each space introduced a new comedic obstacle that drove the story forward.
Just as a proper stage farce ought to be, the centre of attention was the actors themselves, carrying the action with highly dynamic, bold personalities expressed through diverse accents and a wide range of emotions.
Talking with Chronicle.lu, the director, Juliet Ostretsova, pointed out: “This play is all about the actors. For me, the most important thing is to act well. The energy they bring is everything, because it is a very fast, dynamic comedy.”
She also emphasised the unusually quick auditioning process, held in July 2025. She noted: “We held only one day of auditions and I was surprised that so many people came. I expected two or three audition days but chose all the actors from that single audition.”
When asked about the choice of production, she underlined that she usually prefers drama but believes audiences currently need laughter and distraction from everyday worries.
The remaining roles were portrayed by Daniel Halici as Saunders, Sofia Notman as Diana, Pavel Volkov as the Bellhop and Marina Tomašič as Julia.
Evening performances of the production will take place on Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 19:30, with a Sunday matinee performance at 15:00.
Tickets, priced at €21 for adults (non-members), €19 for adult members and €15 for students, are available online at www.nwtc.lu, via email: tickets@nwtc.lu or via tel.: 35 63 39.
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