Glorious! by Peter Quilter opened November 9, 2006 at Theater Three. From start to finish, this show belongs to Connie Coit. She takes the audience on a roller-coaster ride through the career of Florence Foster Jenkins, the self-styled chanteuse who defined bad singing. She was a grande dame of New York society in the 1930s and 40s who fancied herself a great singer. She founded her own club, the Verdi Club, for whose events she created outlandish costumes for herself to wear while performing for the club's events. She could neither sing on pitch nor carry a tune, yet managed to fill concert halls with her friends and relatives whom she interviewed individually before allowing them to attend one of her concerts. She dismissed her critics by attributing their damning reviews to "professional jealousy." In 1944 she produced her own appearance at Carnegie Hall where the concert sold out. She died one month later.
As directed by Theater Three co-founder, Jac Alder, Coit is simply a hoot. In voice and demeanor she is reminiscent of a young Billie Burke. In reality, she has a gorgeous, lilting soprano; she has to be a really good singer to be able to sing so badly, but, as Jenkins, she proudly declares, "People may say I can't sing, but no one can ever say I didn't sing." The dissonant squawks she emits for her final concert at Carnegie Hall had the opening night audience in stitches.
Coit's accompanied by T3 resident musical director, Terry Dobson, as Florence's erstwhile confidante and accompanist, Cosme McMoon. The rest of the cast, while entertaining, may just as well have stayed home; this is Coit's show all the way; although Cecilia Flores is hysterically funny as Jenkins' Spanish-speaking maid who speaks not a word of English. Although her character is superfluous, each appearance delights. (In reality Flores is quite an accomplished actress on many local stages.)
In a pre-opening announcement, Jac Alder gets a big laugh when he announces two disclaimers: "Connie Coit wants you to know she really can sing, and Cecilia Flores really can speak English." R. Bruce Elliott is superb in his understated portrayal of St. Clair, Jenkins' friend and companion. Sally Cole elicits laughter as Jenkins' quirky friend, Dorothy. Michael Robinson's outdone himself with Coit's costumes, especially the white one with the wings which don't quite flap, and a black lace Spanish costume complete with mantilla.
The dialogue has many gay-themed double entendres and "in" theater jokes which the T3 opening night regulars were quick to pick up on. (First nighters here are a homogenous group: almost all theater people, with most audience members familiar with the cast, which makes T3s openings more like family reunions. The plays are always followed by a party in the lobby for cast, crew, and audience.
