★★★☆☆
Glorious! is a play with music based on the life of NYC socialite and lyric soprano Florence Foster Jenkins, “the worst singer in the world”, who genuinely believed that she was a great one. Twenty years after its premiere, a brand-new production, directed by Kirk Jameson, is playing at Hope Mill Theatre in Manchester.
Florence’s story was most famously told in the Meryl Streep-led biographical film Florence Foster Jenkins, which is rich in narrative and story. Glorious!, meanwhile, is a four-scene, three-person comedy play with paper-thin plot and little character development.
But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Peter Quilter’s script does not take itself seriously, as evidenced by the sarcastic title with a cheeky exclamation mark. It’s an evening of escapism, high tosh, and pure joy, with countless zingers, many of which are masterfully delivered by Charlie Hiscock’s droll accompanist Cosmé McMoon.
However, some of the comedy feels old-fashioned, such as the language barrier between Florence and her Italian cook, which is one of Anita Booth’s three characters. She plays a new character in each of the first three scenes. Her characterisation of each is delightfully distinct and hilarious.
The play arguably ridicules Florence too much, but that reflects how she was treated in life. Furthermore, Quilter offers a sympathetic portrayal of the her, even if it falls short of fully humanising her, which could have been achieved by highlighting how her singing was a rebellion against her controlling father (who hated her singing and cut her off) and highlighting other aspects of her life, such as her generosity.
There is some positive messaging but it’s at best obvious and at worst trite. There’s an irony in McMoon warning against “rose-tinted spectacles” when the story, itself, is possibly sanitised, with no suggestion of McMoon exploiting Florence – encouraging her to do a performance that could bankrupt her, because it could benefit him. McMoon tells Florence he loves her, which appears sincere, but this relationship is not adequately developed, which is, in part, because of the four-scene structure and flash-forward narrative.
Florence is charmingly portrayed by Wendi Peters, whose cartoonish portrayal has already received plenty of comparisons to Patricia Routledge’s Hyacinth Bucket in Keeping Up Appearances. Whilst the performance verges on caricature, pushing an already eccentric character to the extreme, Peters succeeds in making the deranged diva remarkably loveable. Her comedic timing is incredible, with her comedy seen as much in her face as her voice.
Peters’ costumes (designed by Ingrid Hu, with wigs by Helen Keane) get more outlandish as the show goes on; so flamboyant are the costumes that it’s more a case of them wearing her than her wearing them, and it works wonderfully. For a low budget show, Hu’s scenography is excellent; each of the four settings is distinct and vividly brought to life. The pastel palette neatly complements the fluffiness of the script. Mike Robertson’s lighting is warm and cosy, which makes us feel like we are there in the living room or the recording studio with Florence and allows the performance scenes to feel more supportive and less voyeuristic. We are the audience Florence deserved.
The play ends with McMoon going back to narrator mode – a narrative device that is used so sporadically that it feels a little redundant – and telling us that, mere weeks after her successful concert at Carnegie Hall, Florence died peacefully in her sleep. He tells us that he imagines she died listening to her voice – not her real voice but the voice in her head and heart – as Florence lip syncs to a backing track. It’s wonderfully ridiculous and undeniably touching.
Glorious! runs at Hope Mill Theatre until March 30.
Photo: Cian O’Ryan
JADAR 