Souvenir

I saw the most wonderful production tonight. I feel odd calling it a musical, although that's what it was. There were only two people onstage the entire time, and the set remained exactly the same - a mid-sized grand piano stage right, a generic living-room-like window upstage center, and the occasional bench or chair stage left. The wings were reached through doors that appeared to lead to "other rooms".

Yet despite the outward appearance of scarcity, this show had drama, action, and many more characters than the two we saw packed into it.

Souvenir is based on the life of Florence Foster Jenkins, an incredible woman who lived during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Born in Wilkes Barre, PA around 1868, she grew up in a wealthy family. After she left home, she married and then divorced a man in an age when I believe divorce was still quite scandalous. After that, she supported herself teaching piano lessons. When her parents passed away, they left her their fortune, and she was finally able to pursue music. She began to travel in elite New York City social circles and to sing therein.
The musical begins when she is in her late 60s, about to really start performing full-time. It's told through the eyes of her accompanist, Cosme McMoon (we think this is a stage name.) He is reminiscing in a cabaret bar, tinkering around the piano and singing occasional excerpts of popular early-mid 20th century tunes. His reflections take him back into the suite at the Ritz Carleton where he met Ms. Foster Jenkins.

All of this sounds fairly interesting, right? But pretty standard?

What you need to know is that Florence Foster Jenkins was spectacularly terrible. She was consumed with passion for music and for her art, for the expressive power of song. But she was tone deaf. Yet, she performed recitals that drew record-breaking crowds and even sold out Carnegie Hall. People came to see her because she was so awful she was funny. She believed she really could sing. "Instead of laughter", her accompanist comments in the show, "she heard bravos." Her costumes were extravagant, as were her gestures and expression. She also made a few records. Go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6h4f77T-LoM to hear a recording of her Queen of the Night aria.

There is something wonderfully endearing about this woman, her determination to perform and her complete infatuation with music. It's also heartbreaking - here was a woman with an absolute love of singing and yet a very limited sense of pitch. How can God deny talent to someone who so desperately wants it? And yet, I guess that is partly the point. Somehow, she stands out in history because she lacked the very voice she thought she had. She also is a stark reminder of how far passion really can take you. How many times do we hear a singer who has a beautiful voice and great sense of pitch but is so caught up in technique that she forgets to actually get lost in the music? How often do we plod to the practice rooms for yet another go at our aria? We forget the joy in music sometimes. And Florence Foster Jenkins serves as a fantastic reminder of the gift we have, not only in our talents but also in the music itself that graces our lives.

Souvenir is hilarious and happy, touching and tender, poignant and passionate. If you get a chance to see it, definitely go. You won't forget it for sure. Judy Kaye was nominated for a Tony for her performance as Madame Jenkins. You'll see why if you attend this performance.

My favorite quote from the real Florence Foster Jenkins? "Some may say I couldn't sing, but none may say I didn't sing."

Now go sing.

~Hope