THEATER REVIEW / ‘LEND ME A TENOR’ : 2 Othellos Entangled in Profound Comedy : Mistaken identities and an improbable impersonation of the Moor offer plenty of opportunity for agreeable fluff.

You’re probably not used to laughing at Othello. Shakespeare and Verdi laboredvaliantly to evoke profound human truth and tragic stature in their respective treatments of the Venetian Moor brought down by his own jealousy.

But what did they know? A more significant legacy--as far as playwright Ken Ludwig is concerned--is the opportunity the traditional blackface depiction of Othello affords for mistaken identities, backstage frenzy and bedroom antics in his zany comedy, “Lend Me a Tenor.”

When a famous Italian tenor visiting 1934 Cleveland for a one-night performance of “Othello” is mistakenly presumed dead, a timid opera company gofer--who secretly harbors operatic aspirations of his own--reluctantly dons the makeup and costume to attempt the most improbable impersonation of all time.

Forget the historical setting--this show unfolds with the ageless sophistication of a whoopee cushion. Especially once the real tenor shows up in identical disguise and the two Othellos become entangled in one another’s professional and romantic exploits.

While limited performance resources and some sluggishness around Ludwig’s verbal hairpin turns prevent the Santa Barbara City College Theatre Group’s “Tenor’ from hitting the highest notes of which the play is capable, the production offers plenty of agreeable mid-range fluff.

Director Rick Mokler has effectively captured the unself-conscious whimsy of a piece that relies on sight gags and puns--rather than more penetrating satire--for its laughs.

The tenor Merelli (Carlos Cerecedo), for example, is a stereotypical overfed, hot-blooded Italian with the mangled pronunciation we’d expect from an organ grinder. (“Is Mum all right?” asks a singer about to order champagne for Merelli. “She’s a-fine, tanks,” he replies).

Fortunately, consistently lively delivery from Cerecedo (and from Sam Muir as the tenor’s temperamental jealous wife) keeps groaners like these from becoming offensive.

As Max, the frazzled substitute tenor who uses his disguise to win the affections of his boss’s daughter, Devin Scott displays impressive comic timing and physical elasticity--but he’s at least a decade too young for the role.

Neither Scott nor Cerecedo are able to fulfill the play’s minimal singing requirements, moreover, forcing some artificial staging that calls attention to less-than-ideal casting. In particular, the duet in which Merelli gives Max a highly eccentric voice lesson loses much of its comic edge.

The all-important frenetic pacing needed to propel this kind of farce past our sentry-gates of skepticism falters with some of the supporting performances, which sound at times like recitations.

On the other hand, the well-orchestrated door slamming and scampering between various rooms and places of concealment in Merelli’s hotel suite (an eye-popping expanse of Art Deco extravagance courtesy of Norman Spencer’s scenic design) keep the physical momentum on track.

Details

* WHAT: “Lend Me a Tenor.”

* WHEN: Through Oct. 30, Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m.

* WHERE: Garvin Theatre, 721 Cliff Drive in Santa Barbara.

* COST: Tickets are $12-14.

* FYI: For reservations or further information, call 965-5935.