On Theater:

You may be able to quote upcoming lines from memory when you watch the frantic comedy “Lend Me a Tenor” at the Costa Mesa Playhouse, but chances are you’ll still be laughing just as hard as you were the first time you heard them.

Playwright Ken Ludwig (he’s billed as Kenneth in the Costa Mesa program) has built a career on turning back the clock and focusing on regional show business (“Moon Over Buffalo,” “Leading Ladies,” “Twentieth Century”), but it’s his “Lend Me a Tenor” that local theaters have seized on with a vengeance.

It’s set in 1934 Cleveland, where the local opera company is awaiting a famous guest artist, Tito Morelli, to sing the title role in its production of “Otello.” When the great one finally arrives, after consuming some wax fruit and an overdose of prescription pills, he’s dead to the world — or at least to the opera manager and his assistant.

The latter pair concoct an improbable scheme whereby the assistant dons Tito’s costume and impersonates him at the performance. Great idea, except for one thing — the real singer is very much alive.

There’s a rich 1930s feel to director David Anthony Blair’s accelerated production, along with a generous dose of period-intensive farcical interpretation.

Most prominent in that regard is Jaycob Hunter as the quick-witted assistant who becomes an overnight star and tackles his romance problems in the bargain.

Hunter revels in the frenetic tempo of the show, shifting from one facet to another with alacrity.

He may not physically resemble Tito (who stands a head taller), but in costume and makeup, who cares? Certainly not the comely daughter of his boss (Bethany Hamrick), whom he’s endeavoring to win.

Hamrick plays it straight and narrow up to a point, that point arriving when she engages in a torrid fling with the tenor she believes to be Tito. Meanwhile, Tito himself is enjoying the favors of his Desdemona (a seductive Barbara Gibbs, also the show’s costumer) in the adjoining room.

Gordon Marhoefer is fine as the constantly rattled opera manager, while Paul Burt is a richly robust Tito. The showstopper, however, is Norma Jean Riddick as Tito’s hot-blooded Italian wife, who consistently addresses him at the top of her voice.

Veteran actress Shirley Romano — in a glittery gown that makes her look, as one character comments, “like the Chrysler building” — beautifully sells her brief scenes as the opera guild president. And Travis Stolp insinuates himself irreverently into the action as the star-obsessed bellhop.

The art deco setting — credited to director Blair along with Dave Carleen, Jessica-Elisabeth and Kathy Kline — is beautifully accomplished, and Gibbs’ costumes are elegantly rendered. John McQuay’s sound design — operatic accompaniment during the vocalizing sequences — is impressive.

“Lend Me a Tenor” may be one of the more familiar plays on the local circuit, but it’s still good for an abundance of laughs at the Costa Mesa Playhouse.

TOM TITUS reviews local theater for the Daily Pilot.