We all know the old adage ‘laughter is the best medicine’ and have probably experienced that moment when something is so funny it takes all our worries away. You forget about the headache or heartbreak and anxiety and give in to the giggles and chortles that make an evening feel light. Well, if you’re looking for a cure to what ails you, Shadowland Stages’ production of “Lend Me A Soprano” is pretty good medicine.

“Lend Me A Soprano” is a gender-swapped version of Ken Ludwig’s award-winning play “Lend Me a Tenor” and follows Jo (Stephanie Bacastow), the harried assistant to Mrs. Wylie (Katrina Ferguson), stepping into some big shoes following the apparent demise of renowned opera singer Elena Firenzi (Julia Meadows) on the night of her American debut in “Carmen” in Cleveland, OH. What ensues is a rip-roaring comedy filled with mistaken identity, miscommunications and many slamming doors that leave you laughing so hard you barely have a moment to catch your breath.

The thing that really drives this show is the truly stupendous cast. I walked away from the premiere Saturday night thinking “now that was a dream cast” filled with actors and actresses on the top of their game, with comedic chops and, necessary in a show about opera, vocal ranges to boot.

Julia Meadows as soprano Elena Firenzi, and Stephanie Bacastow as the timid, but talented, Jo, shine in this play. Meadows is boisterous and loud and passionate as Firenzi. Bacastow plays the timid mouse turned into verified leading lady with ease. I loved the moments the two shared the stage bonding over their love of music during an impromptu singing lesson, and the moments they shared the stage but didn’t know it as they participated in a revolving door of mistaken identity in the same hotel suite. Both of these leading ladies have gorgeous voices, and they are so incredibly funny. 

Katrina Ferguson portrays the uptight, very stressed Mrs. Wylie with ease and her hypothetical announcements to the audience are delivered wonderfully with deadpan humor and poise. She wavers between panicked to haughty, and her exchanges with the Bellhop (Hudson Harden Scheel) are wonderful. 

Sam Balzac plays Jo’s maybe-fiance Jerry, also son to Mrs. Wiley, who is smitten with Elena Firenzi and desires passion and spark in his romantic relationship. His actions catalyze pivotal moments in the play, and Balzac’s both endearing and hilarious. Peter Evangelista portrays Elena’s fiery and insecure husband Pasquale and he flickers between the stereotype of the angry, jealous Italian to the moody husband with ease. Ben David Carlson rounds out the trio of leading men as Don Juan-esque tenor Leo aka “The Flying Dutchman” and Carlson brings that name to life with acrobatics a few times throughout the show. During the second act the three men have a side-stitching moment together as they try to confront the woman they think is “Elena” that had me crying with laughter.

Valerie Lynn Brett plays flighty Opera Chairwoman Julia and delivers her comedic lines with a wicked glint in her eyes. She is a perfect foible to Katrina Ferguson’s Mrs. Wylie. And Hudson Harden Scheel very nearly steals the show in his role as the Bellhop from his terse exchanges with Mrs. Wylie, to his singing entrances and exits.

The cast and director Brendan Burke have a lot to be proud of, as does Scenic Designer Josh Christensen. The set is perfect in its simple elegance as a hotel suite. I’m always amazed how Shadowland Stages manages to put on such wonderful shows involving so many doors. And this is one of those shows where one door closes and another opens quite frequently, and it does so seamlessly.

While the show was delayed by a week due to illness in the cast, it delivers on its promise to leave you “singing with laughter”. Hilarity ensues in “Lend Me A Soprano” in the best ways, and I guarantee you will be laughing about the show long after the curtain call and telling all your friends that they need to make sure they get tickets before it closes.

“Lend Me A Soprano” plays at The MainStage at Shadowland Stages until August 4th – Thursday, Friday and Saturdays at 8pm and Sundays at 2 pm. Tickets can be purchased in person at 157 Canal St. Ellenville, NY; on their website shadowlandstages.org; or by calling the box office 845-647-5511.