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SOUVENIR: A FANTASIA ON THE LIFE OF FLORENCE FOSTER JENKINS |
 Sponsored by Arthur Neis
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Iowa Premiere Production
March 20-22 and 25-29
(Wed-Sat. at 7:30. Sun. at 3)
Directed by Tom Perrine
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Check out the YouTube video about the production.
“A beguiling comic jewel with a heart.” Variety
“Life holds up a funhouse mirror to art in SOUVENIR, Stephen Temperley’s wildly funny and surprisingly touching portrait of real-life musical laughingstock Florence Foster Jenkins…a memorable illustration of the real limits of self-perception, and of the purely theatrical magic that can turn the tinniest ear to gold.” Time Out
“If you’re lucky enough to see 'Souvenir' at the Berkshire Theatre Festival before it heads to Broadway, you’ll have one distinct advantage over Jenkins’ audiences. You won’t have to try to keep your body from shaking or stuff your handkerchief into your mouth to hide your laughter. And laugh you will. Till you cry. 'Souvenir' is downright hilarious…Temperley has brought to this his own sense of mirth as well as a sensibility that doesn’t settle for mere mirth. Thus 'Souvenir' raises questions about how we see ourselves and how others see us, how we make music and how we make judgments about people making music…So go laugh to your heart’s content. There weren’t many voices as bad as Jenkins’. There aren’t many theatrical experiences as good as 'Souvenir.'” Boston Globe
Frances Foster Jenkins was dubbed by critics as the “Dire Diva of Din.” “Souvenir” tells the true-life story of Jenkins, the wealthy New York socialite eccentric, who suffered under the delusion that she was a great coloratura soprano when she was, in fact, incapable of producing two consecutive notes in tune. Her wildly popular charity concerts in the 1930s and ‘40s culminated in a sold-out concert at Carnegie Hall where utterly, unbelievably tone-deaf Jenkins, was blissfully unaware that her devoted fans were stifling laughs, not cheers. This is a story of how we see ourselves and how others see us, how we make music and how we make judgments about people making music.
Cast
| Florence Foster Jenkins | Gina Gedler |
| Cosme McMoon | Matthew McIver |
Production Team
| Director | Tom Perrine |
| Production Stage Manager | Becky Scholtec |
| Scenic Designer | Eleanor Kahn |
| Lighting Designer | Nick Veenstra |
| Costume Designer | Mell Ziegenfus |
| Music Director | Ben Hagen |
| Properties Designer | Joy Kripal |
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THIS SEASON 
