Florence Foster Jenkins remains an extraordinary subject for drama, a figure both absurd and oddly admirable: a wealthy socialite who pursued operatic glory with unwavering conviction, but who possessed a voice that was frequently off-key and strained at the top. Her legend rests not only on that mismatch between ambition and ability, but also on her kindness and generosity, which complicate any easy attempt to turn her into a mere figure of ridicule. This production, however, leans too heavily towards the superficial. If the issue for Jenkins was that her performance did not rise to the material, the issue for Glorious! is that the material does not rise to the level of the performance. Wendi Peters delivers a committed and energetically comic portrayal, but the script gives her limited scope to explore the contradictions that make Jenkins interesting. The arias are amusingly rendered and skilfully judged, yet they are asked to carry a play that too often settles for repetition rather than development. Writer Peter Quilter presents Jenkins largely as a curiosity, and her delusion is mined for easy laughs rather than examined for its deeper emotional or philosophical resonance. The script gestures towards her generosity, but never allows it to mature into something resembling nobility. As a result, she is denied the complexity that might elevate her from a caricature to a tragicomic figure. Jenkins could invite comparison with Don Quixote, another figure propelled by belief into a world that refuses to comply; yet where Cervantes grants his knight a strange dignity, this production stops short. It recognises the comedy of Jenkins' musical quest, but not its courage, and certainly not its melancholy. There is entertainment here, and Wendi Peters does admirable work within the limits imposed upon her. Nevertheless, the production ultimately feels slight. By reducing Jenkins to a single note of comic ineptitude, it misses the richer, more unsettling truth of her story. What remains is diverting but insubstantial, a portrayal that provokes laughter but offers little understanding.
Rated: ★★
Reviewed by J.C.
Photo by Chris Davis
When, Where, Getting there:
,%20Catrine%20Kirkan%20(Mountararat),%20Matthew%20Kellett%20(Lord%20Chancellor),%20Meriel%20Cunningham%20(Fairy%20Queen),%20David%20Menezes%20(Tolloller),%20Sarah%20Prestwidge%20(Celia).jpg)
%20Ciaran%20Owens(Walter%20Huff)%20Photographer%20Manuel%20Harlan.jpg)
%20%C2%A9%20The%20Trustees%20of%20the%20British%20Museum.jpeg)
