Tucci to direct Shalhoub in Broadway play

NEW YORK, Dec. 17 (UPI) -- Stanley Tucci is directing a Broadway revival of Ken Ludwig's "Lend Me a Tenor," starring Anthony LaPaglia and Tony Shalhoub, the show's producers said.

Co-starring Brooke Adams, Mary Catherine Garrison, Jennifer Laura Thompson, Jay Klaitz and Jan Maxwell, the 1930s-set comedy is slated to begin preview performances March 11 at Manhattan's Music Box Theatre. Opening night is scheduled for April 4.

The play is about what happens when Tito Merelli, "the fiery-tempered and world famous Italian superstar, arrives in Cleveland, Ohio, to make his debut with the local opera and promptly goes missing," the producers said in a news release Thursday. "As Saunders, the show's presenter, conspires to cover for Tito's absence, placate his hot-blooded wife, and distract his most passionate fans, chaos on a truly operatic level ensues."

Tucci was seen on the big screen this year in "Julie & Julia" and "The Lovely Bones," LaPaglia is best known for his work in TV's "Without a Trace" and Shalhoub recently wrapped his eight-season run in the small-screen comedy "Monk."