Souvenir
By Stephen Temperley | Directed by Adam P. Blais
Sponsored by David Harbour & Lily Allen
For more than half a century the name Florence Foster Jenkins has been guaranteed to produce explosions of derisive laughter. Not unreasonably so, as this wealthy society eccentric suffered under the delusion that she was a great coloratura soprano when she was in fact incapable of producing two consecutive notes in tune. Souvenir, by turn hilarious and poignant, tells her story through the eyes of her accompanist, Cosme McMoon; following the genesis of their partnership from its earliest days to their infamous concert in Carnegie Hall and its aftermath. With each new imagined triumph Florence’s confidence soars. Faced with her boundless certainty, Cosme comes to revise his attitude, not only towards her singing but to the very meaning of music itself. A musical odd-couple for the ages.
Schedule
Friday, July 5, 7:30 p.m. (Opening/Monmouth Night)
Saturday, July 13, 1:00 p.m.
Saturday, July 20, 7:30 p.m. (Post-Show Discussion to Follow)
Thursday, July 25, 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, July 28, 1:00 p.m.
Thursday, August 1, 1:00 p.m.
Friday, August 2, 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, August 7, 1:00 p.m.
Friday, August 9, 7:30 p.m. (Closing Night)
Production Team
Cast
From the Director
A pedestrian on 57th Street sees a musician getting out of a cab and asks, “How do you get to Carnegie Hall?” Without pause, the artist replies wearily, “Practice.” And practice she did.
On October 25, 1944 New York Socialite and Coloratura Soprano, Florence Foster Jenkins, made her Carnegie Hall debut to a sold-out audience alongside her accompanist and friend, Cosme McMoon. What made this event so monumental is that Florence Foster Jenkins was incapable of singing a single note in tune or in time. Described by Time Magazine as “a series of gargles and hoots that had to be heard to be believed,” tone-deaf Jenkins’ sang her way through some of the most challenging vocal compositions imaginable, adorned in campy homemade costumes, and made them her own.
No one who witnessed the historical event remembers it the same way. While critics insist that she knew perfectly well how bad she was, friends and supporters are adamant that she was sincere in believing that she was truly gifted. Regardless of one’s opinion of Jenkins, spectators agreed that something truly magical happened each and every time she took to the stage.
It is important to note that Stephen Temperley’s play is not meant to be biographical. While the events and the details of Florence’s life are well researched, the true story of Florence Foster Jenkins has become so shrouded by gossip that it is almost impossible to discern fact from fiction. Instead, we are left with an unparalleled theatrical story that celebrates the courage, dedication and vulnerability that it takes to create and offer up your work for the masses. It is my hope that Florence’s story will inspire you to take your own artistic risks and to share them with the world.
“People may say I can’t sing, but no one can say I didn’t sing.”
Florence Foster Jenkins
(July 19, 1868 – November 26, 1944)
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