''Souvenir'' is a two-character

play Play most commonly refers to: * Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment * Play (theatre), a work of drama Play may refer also to: Computers and technology * Google Play, a digital content service * Play Framework, a Java framework * P ...

, with incidental music, by Stephen Temperley.

Overview

In a

Greenwich Village Greenwich Village, or simply the Village, is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street (Manhattan), 14th Street to the north, Broadway (Manhattan), Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the s ...

supper club in 1964, Cosmé McMoon flashes back to the musical career of

Florence Foster Jenkins Florence Foster Jenkins (born Narcissa Florence Foster; July 19, 1868 – November 26, 1944) was an American socialite and amateur coloratura soprano who became known, and mocked, for her flamboyant performance costumes and notably poor sing ...

, a wealthy

socialite A socialite is a person, typically a woman from a wealthy or aristocratic background, who is prominent in high society. A socialite generally spends a significant amount of time attending various fashionable social gatherings, instead of having ...

with a famously uncertain sense of pitch and key. In 1932, she met mediocre

pianist A pianist ( , ) is a musician who plays the piano. A pianist's repertoire may include music from a diverse variety of styles, such as traditional classical music, jazz piano, jazz, blues piano, blues, and popular music, including rock music, ...

Cosmé McMoon, and the two teamed up in the hope of achieving success. Over the next dozen years, their bizarre partnership yielded hilariously off-key recitals that became the talk of New York City, earning them cultish fame. The play culminates in a sold-out performance at

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhattan), 57t ...

in 1944, where the audience "turns on her in gales of derisive guffaws."

Judy Kaye Judy Kaye (born October 11, 1948) is an American singer and actress. She has appeared in stage musicals, plays, and operas. Kaye has been in long runs on Broadway in the musicals '' The Phantom of the Opera'', ''Ragtime'', '' Mamma Mia!'', an ...

plays "the one who gets to hilariously murder the music of

Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791) was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition and proficiency from an early age ...

Verdi Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi ( ; ; 9 or 10 October 1813 – 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer best known for his operas. He was born near Busseto, a small town in the province of Parma, to a family of moderate means, recei ...

Gounod Charles-François Gounod (; ; 17 June 181818 October 1893), usually known as Charles Gounod, was a French composer. He wrote twelve operas, of which the most popular has always been ''Faust (opera), Faust'' (1859); his ''Roméo et Juliette'' (18 ...

and

Brahms Johannes Brahms (; ; 7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer, virtuoso pianist, and conductor of the mid- Romantic period. His music is noted for its rhythmic vitality and freer treatment of dissonance, often set within studied ye ...

and to wear more of Tracy Christensen's elegant as well as spectacularly silly costumes than a whole ensemble in a more populated musical."Sommer, Elyse
"Review. 'Souvenir A Fantasia on the Life of Florence Foster Jenkins'"
curtainup.com, August 19, 2005 The play's title, ''Souvenir'', comes from Jenkins insisting on recording "Queen of the Night" (Mozart), saying that when her voice is not as strong, the recording will make "a lovely souvenir."

Productions

The play was produced by the

Off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

York Theatre Company The York Theatre Company is an Off-Broadway theatre company based on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City. Established in 1969, The York is the only theater in New York City, and one of the few in the world, whose two-fold mission ...

running from November 23, 2004 to January 2, 2005. The production was directed by

Vivian Matalon Vivian Matalon (11 October 1929 – 15 August 2018) was a British theatre director. Born in Manchester, Matalon began his career as an actor in a series of forgettable British films, but his greatest success has been as a director of West End ...

and starred

and Jack Lee. The play opened on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...

on November 10, 2005 at the Lyceum Theatre, where it ran for 68 performances and fourteen previews. Directed by Vivian Matalon (who originally suggested the subject matter to Temperley), Judy Kaye and

Donald Corren Donald Corren is an American Broadway and film actor and screenwriter. He created the role of Cosmé McMoon opposite Judy Kaye's Florence Foster Jenkins in the 2005 Broadway production of ''Souvenir''. He also starred on Broadway in '' Torch ...

comprised the cast.Kenrick, John
''Souvenir''
musicals101.com, accessed November 1, 2015 Kaye was nominated for both the 2006

Tony Tony may refer to: People and fictional characters * Tony the Tiger, cartoon mascot for Frosted Flakes cereal * Tony (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Gregory Tony (born 1978), American law enforcement officer * ...

and 2005

Drama Desk Award The Drama Desk Awards are among the most esteemed honors in New York theater, recognizing outstanding achievements across Broadway, Off-Broadway, and Off-Off-Broadway productions within the same categories. The awards are considered a signific ...

for her performance. The Lyric Stage Company, Boston staged ''Souvenir'' in February 2007; their production featured direction by Spiro Veloudos, and starred Leigh Barrett as Jenkins, with Will McGarrahan as Cosmé. Barrett won the

Elliot Norton Award The Elliot Norton Awards are presented annually to honor the best achievements in Boston-area theater. The genesis of the awards was the Norton Medal, which was first awarded in 1983 and was named after long-time theater critic Elliot Norton (190 ...

- Outstanding Actress in a Musical. The San Jose Repertory Theater staged the West-Coast premiere of ''Souvenir'' in March and April 2008, with Mark Anders playing Cosmé McMoon and

Patti Cohenour Patti Cohenour (born October 17, 1952) is an American actress and singer. She last performed as the standby for Elizabeth Arden in the Broadway musical '' War Paint'', a position she also held in the pre Broadway run. Previously she was seen in the ...

as Florence Foster Jenkins. San Francisco's

American Conservatory Theater The American Conservatory Theater (ACT) is a nonprofit theater company in San Francisco, California, United States, that offers both classical and contemporary theater productions. It also has an attached acting school. History The American ...

staged the play in early 2009, with

and

reprising their Broadway roles as

and Cosmé McMoon, and

again directing. The Flat Rock Playhouse, Flat Rock, North Carolina staged ''Souvenir'' in their 2013 season. Carl Danielsen played Cosmé McMoon and Linda Edwards played Florence Foster Jenkins."Official Site".
flatrockplayhouse.org The Fortune Theare, Dunedin, New Zealand; 2014, The NZ Premiere of the play directed by Lara MacGregor, with Angela Johnson as Florence, and Michael Lee Porter as Cosme. A German translation was shown in 2013 at the Komödie im Bayerischen Hof in

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

with

Désirée Nick Désirée Gerda Saskia Pamela Amneris Aida Nick (born 30 September 1956) is a German reality television personality, actress, dancer, and author. Biography Born in Berlin, Nick studied ballet at ''Berliner Tanzakademie''. She became a member ...

as Foster Jenkins. The Milwaukee Repertory Theatre staged a production of ''Souvenir'' for their 2017-2018 season in their Stackner Caberet. Marguerite Willbanks played Florence Foster Jenkins and Jack Forbes Wilson played Cosmé McMoon. Rep Stage in Columbia, Maryland, staged a production of ''Souvenir'' for its 2019-2020 season. It starred Actors' Equity Association members Grace Bauer as Jenkins and Alan Naylor as McMoon. Joseph W. Ritsch directed.

References

https://www.repstage.org/season/2019-20/souvenir.html

External links

Internet Broadway Database listing

''Souvenir'' at Dramatists Play Service
{{DEFAULTSORT:Souvenir 2005 plays Fiction set in 1932 Fiction set in 1944 Fiction set in 1964 American plays Broadway plays Plays set in New York City Plays set in the 1930s Plays set in the 1940s Plays set in the 1960s Biographical plays about musicians Cultural depictions of pop musicians Cultural depictions of classical musicians Cultural depictions of American people Florence Foster Jenkins