Napier Repertory Players will be performing Glorious! at The Little Theatre for the Art Deco season.
Described as “a play with music”, this delightful comedy is based on the true story of Florence Foster Jenkins - played by Eileen von Dadelszen - a legendary New York heiress and socialite who was a prominent figure in the New York arts scene for almost half a century.
Born into a wealthy Pennsylvanian family, Nascina Florence Foster took piano lessons up until the age of 15, when she married 30-year-old Dr Frank Jenkins, who most likely gave her syphilis, a then-incurable disease. When the pair separated after three years, she kept the doctor’s name and returned to music, attending the Philadelphia Academy of Music.
She moved to New York City and, with the help of her father’s inheritance, started programming musical recitals. During one performance in 1909, she met St Clair Bayfield, played by Robert Hickey, an accomplished English actor who became her partner and, later, her manager.
Florence had difficulty with basic vocal skills such as pitch, rhythm, and sustaining notes and phrases. Her accompanist, Cosmé McMoon, made adjustments to compensate for her constant tempo variations and rhythmic mistakes. Music will be played live by Amand Gerbault-Gaylor, an accomplished music graduate and musician.
