Glorious. A production surrounded by a sense of joy.
Poster from Linden House Theatre. Janet Uren as Florence Foster Jenkins.
There might be some glory in the life of Florence Foster Jenkins, but there is little of similar magnificence in Glorious, the weak semi-biographical comedy by Peter Quilter.
Glorious, set in 1944, the last year of Jenkins’ life, recounts how her conviction that she was a great opera singer was in total contrast to her ghastly out-of-tune, out-of-rhythm performances. Yet, she was eventually invited to sing at Carnegie Hall — prestigious indeed, even if it was at her own expense, and many attendees came to laugh at her — and played to a full house, plus packed standing room, with a reported overflow of another 2,000 people clamouring to witness the concert mounted by the legend of the appalling voice.
While Jenkins is the central focus of Quilter’s script, he tries to grind out extra humour (usually failing to amuse, possibly intentionally to remain in line with the singer’s inability to sing). He forces some witty (not) references to the pianist’s sexual orientation, the randiness of Jenkins’ common-law partner, the lack of communication between Jenkins and her Spanish maid and throws in some particularly irritating sequences around her friend’s dying dog.
However, despite the lack of glory in Glorious, Linden House Theatre’s entertaining production, directed by Robin Bowditch, survives and thrives.