Open Wardrobes

On Saturday night Kelly and I had the opportunity to see Souvenir at the Jungle Theater. It was part of a holiday party for work hosted by Erwin and Miriam Kelen (Erwin is the Board Chair of the SPCO, and they are both also big fans of the Jungle). The play tells the story of Florence Foster Jenkins who was a hit soprano in New York City in the 30s and 40s, not because she was good but because she was terrible. But as terrible a singer as was, she was convinced she was exceptional and all indications are that she died never knowing how awful she truly was. The two characters in Souvenir are Florence Foster Jenkins and Cosmé McMoon, her accompanist of many years (who was fully aware of her complete lack of talent). Claudia Wilkens, who plays Jenkins, was absolutely remarkable. As Kelly pointed out, the bad singing could quickly get old, but she kept it fresh by continually finding new ways to sound terrible. But what the play really focuses on is the friendship between Jenkins and McMoon. She exhibits a genuine gratitude for all McMoon does for her, and he in turn truly cares about her and seeks to protect her from the truth of her own lack of talent. One must be careful, of course, to assume that a theatrical portrayal is indeed how things really were (how many of us, for example, get our "history" of Mozart from the movie Amadeus?), but it is a touching picture of how far we will go to protect the feelings of those we love. The play is moved along by McMoon's direct conversations with the audience. While it would be easy for such a device to get old, the well-written script and Peter Vitale's charming performance as McMoon easily clear this hurdle. All in all it was a delightful performance which Kelly and I both enjoyed immensely.