Glorious

by Peter Quilter

Hilarious comedy of the worst singer in the world

In 1940's New York, the performer who everyone wanted to see live was Florence Foster Jenkins, an enthusiastic soprano whose pitch was far from perfect.

Known as 'the first lady of the sliding scale', she warbled and screeched her way through the evening to an audience who mostly fell about with laughter. But this delusional and joyously happy woman paid little attention to her critics, instead she was surrounded by a circle of devoted friends who were almost as eccentric as she was.

Based upon a true story, the play spins from Florence's charity recitals and extravagent balls, through to her bizarre recording sessions and an ultimate triumph at Carnegie Hall in this hilarious and heart-warming comedy.
Glorious! is published to tie-in with the premiere at Birmingham Repertory Theatre, starring Maureen Lipman.
'Never less than riveting' Scotsman
'Comically sublime' Guardian
'Delightful and often blissfully funny ? This is a cult hit if ever I saw one' Daily Telegraph
'Lunatically funny comedy ? Maureen Lipman gives a virtuoso performance, glittering, hilarious and technically breathtaking' Sunday Times

Genres: Plays

96 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2005

Reviews

[Shane Hurst · Rating 4 out of 5]

Florence Foster Jenkins was a legend when I was in music conservatory—the notoriously awful singer who used her money and power to create a pocket reality for herself in the New York classical music scene during the 1940s. Recently, the movie with Meryl Streep brought Jenkins back into the public eye, but a couple of decades before that Peter Quilter’s play Glorious! Brought “the worst singer in the world” to the theatrical stage.

The play focuses mainly on Jenkins, her English lover St. Clair, and her pianist Cosme McMoon. Though McMoon worked with Jenkins from the 1920s, Quilter contracts their collaboration to the space of roughly a year. The play begins with their meeting in 1944 and ends with her Carnegie Hall performance and an epilogue delivered by Cosme regarding her death a month later. Telling big stories within the scope of a few scenes is problematic, but Quilter manages to paint characters and situations that are immediately engaging. Perhaps they are not as “deep” as King Lear, but the audience/reader grows to care about them despite their flaws and foibles. A lot of this is due to the humorous writing, but I think there is something to be said about the playwright’s approach. He doesn’t try to make sense of the madness but rather celebrates it with a straightforward presentation of the crazy. The result is, well, glorious.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to a 2016 film starring Meryl Streep titled 'Florence Foster Jenkins,' I had heard the basic plot about a rich woman who sucked at singing but believed she was really good. And that's all there really is. Her new pianist, Cosmé McMoon, seems to be the only one aware that her singing is atrocious while her husband and friend are unaware (or being tremendously kind).

It's a fun, silly comedy with a small cast and a big heart about a real-life NYC socialite.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute, well written play about the life of Florence Foster Jenkins (the most famous "worst" singer to perform at Carnegie Hall).. Might be a good fit for our local theatre company.

[Ioana · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well-written comedy. I'm sure it's quite enjoyable if it's set properly.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good script... I think it will make for a good show in our 2012 - 2013 season.