The New Candlelight Theatre, the country's only nonprofit Equity dinner theater, starts its 2008 season with the hilarious comedy Lend Me a Tenor by Ken Ludwig.

Opening January 11th and running through March 1st, Lend Me a Tenor is a side-splitting romp through a 1930's hotel room where chaos reigns offstage and on in this Tony Award-winning backstage farce. The Cleveland Grand Opera Company has imported the world-famous tenor Tito Merelli to launch its season with a performance of Verdi's Otello, only to discover their special attraction has passed out cold in his dressing room from too much wine and too many tranquilizers. The company manager scrambles to make sure the show, as always, goes on. Who will perform? Will the audience notice? This crowd-pleasing comedy fills the theater with mistaken identities, romantic intrigue, a cascade of slamming doors and enough laughter to have you "singing" its praises for weeks to come.

Lend Me a Tenor, directed by Chris Alberts, stars Paul Goodman, Liz Filios, Alan Kutner, Jerry Perna, Micki Sharpe, Angela Pomo, Marie Howey and Brian Walsh.

Executive Director Bob Miller and Artistic Director Jody Anderson Miller produce the first installment of the 2008 season. After obtaining ownership in 2002, Bob and Jody set forth on carving a niche in the fledgling professional theater community of Delaware and creating a model for dinner theaters across the country. Embarking on one of its most successful seasons to date, The New Candlelight Theatre draws to a close its first year as the nation's only Equity dinner theater. A proud member of the Theatre Alliance of Greater Philadelphia, Candlelight recently received two 2007 Barrymore nominations for its past production of Chicago and is supported in part by the Delaware Division of the Arts and generous donations by loyal patrons and businesses.

The New Candlelight Theatre is located in historic Ardentown, DE-five minutes from downtown Wilmington and 30 minutes from Center City, Philadelphia. Lend Me a Tenor will open on January 11, 2008 and run through March 1, 2008. To purchase tickets, please call The New Candlelight Theatre box office at: 302-475-2313. For more information on The New Candlelight Theatre, please visit www.newcandlelighttheatre.com.