By Amanda VanNostrand.
Souvenir, a Fantasia on the Life of Florence Foster Jenkins is currently entertaining audiences on Independence Studio on 3, at Walnut Street Theatre. Learn about the life of Florence Foster Jenkins, the sensational opera singer and inspiration for the 2016 film, Florence Foster Jenkins, starring Meryl Streep and Hugh Grant. This show plays through October 15th and it is a fantastic opening to the season: it’s funny, entertaining, and just plain enjoyable.
Souvenir is based on the actual story of Florence Foster Jenkins (Rebecca Robbins), an opera star. Narrated by Cosme’ McMoon (Jonas Cohen), this tale begins in the 1920s and proceeds to 1944. Cosme’ is Florence Foster Jenkins’s pianist. Through the time they share together, the audience is brought along for the journey as the two figure out how to work together. This may seem like quite a dull story, but there’s one crucial aspect to understand: though her shows are selling out, Jenkins cannot sing well. At all. She misses about every note and is completely unaware, believing herself to be a singing sensation. As one can imagine, this produces hilarious (and slightly pathetic) results as ‘satisfied’ audiences repeatedly mislead Jenkins.
As Jenkins performs at the Ritz Carlton, audience members will be stricken with the simple, eloquent set (design by Roman Tataroqicz) presented in this show. The main objects in the room being a chair and a piano, there is not much to look at. But the pieces of furniture are framed by sparkles: lights and crystal chandeliers border the stage and create a beautiful scene on which our characters present their story.
As mentioned earlier, there are two characters in this show, and two characters only: Cosme’ McMoon and Florence Foster Jenkins. Both actors are carefully chosen and portray their roles with precision. James Cohen is handsome, confident, and simply debonair. He presents Cosme’ quite well: his dramatic expressions and reactions coincide perfectly, creating a great performance. (And though his voice is not heard nearly enough in this show, when it is heard, it is like a breath of fresh air.)
Rebecca Robbins plays Florence, and she is magnificent. As much as her voice misses each note, it is clear that her voice is in fact beautiful. This gives her even more talent: imagine how difficult it must be for a talented singer to know the tune of a song and deliberately sing it off key. But she nails it. Her notes have the power to produce simultaneous cringes and laughter. Her acting is charming, and by the end of the show she is sure to have made you fall a little bit in love with Florence Foster Jenkins. Her naïve nature is refreshing. And, if you have a difficult time with her perceived imperfections, Robbins will eventually redeem herself with her absolutely perfect rendition of Ave Maria. This alone is reason enough to purchase your ticket right now. (There’s just something about that song!)
Souvenir, a Fantasia on the Life of Florence Foster Jenkins is excellent. Audience members will learn a small piece of history by going back in time to Florence’s day and falling for her endearing, absolutely adorable personality. From Florence’s hilarious costume changes and props, to Cosme’s reactions and somewhat bizarre fondness for his co-star, these two musicians and their story are sure to brighten your day.
Running Time: 2 hours with a 15-minute intermission
Souvenir, a Fantasia on the Life of Florence Foster Jenkins will be playing at Independence Studio on 3 at Walnut Street Theatre (825 Walnut Street Philadelphia, PA 19107) until Sunday, October 15th. For tickets call the box office at 215-574-3550 or click here.