Souvenir

November 12th, 2006
Brentwood Theatre, Brentwood/Westwood
Musical (more or less)

It's always a treat when the original cast from Broadway transfers to Los Angeles. Judy Kaye and Donald Corren were about as perfect a cast for this as I can even imagine.

This play reminds me of American Idol's worst auditioners. It's based on the story of Florence Foster Jenkins, a society eccentric who thought she was a great coloratura soprano (think William Hung). She never realized her immense popularity was the entertainment value of her lack of talent. The story is told by her gay accompanist, the highlights condensed from their 12 year artistic partnership (he was under no delusions about her talent whatsoever, and did his best to protect her).

Judy Kaye was hilarious. She deserved her Tony Nomination for successfully pulling off the vocal pyrotechnics associated with a tone-deaf soprano trying to sing opera. Mozarts Queen of the Night was particularly painfully funny. The musical (play?) was so artfully written that I became very absorbed in the story and didn't think about "writing." And Donald Corren's voice was very easy on the ears.

The first act was a bit slow, but the second really delivered. At the end, Judy sang Ave Maria as the play gave the audience a window into what "she hears in her head" --as opposed to what came out of her mouth. That was worth waiting for, because Judy Kaye has a marvelous soprano that filled the space.
Extra 1/2 star for the wonderful cast and writing.