Review: Glorious! at the Hope Mill Theatre celebrates our individuality

We have all seen shows like X Factor and other singing competitions, where a contestant has a big build up and back story and we expect them to blow us away with their vocals. And then….. they are out of tune and upset when they are given a no. Often, the producers milk the ‘comedy’ by including footage of the poor mite claiming that their singing teacher said they were great. And the response from a judge is usually: “How much do you pay them?”

Peter Quilter’s play Glorious! focuses on the joy of singing, whether it is in front of an audience or recording a song. We follow socialite Florence Foster Jenkins, who loves music and loves to sing. Her joy and passion cannot always mask the fact that many of the people who pay to see her come along to laugh and mock the fact that she cannot hold a tune.

I first saw this piece 20 years ago in the West End, and Maureen Lipman played the amateur soprano. For Kirk Jameson’s production, Wendi Peters steps into the spotlight and grabs the mic as the singer who won’t leave the stage.

The first half focuses on the comic value of hearing someone so out of tune, warm up and truly believe that something sweet and heartfelt is coming out of their mouth. And Peters is, as the title says, glorious. She brings unbridled passion and a welcome lack of self-awareness, which is childlike and reminds you of when you were young and did not care what people thought. And there is something truly freeing about that.

Charlie Hiscock is delightfully dour and dry as Cosmé McMoon, the pianist and composer who becomes Florence’s right-hand man and confidante. It is this odd couple pairing that keeps you coming back for more, as through their conversations, you do begin to see what lies beneath the façade. To her, he should be married, and she does not understand why he has not been snapped up, even though she keeps seeing him hang out with men. Florence’s naivety engages Cosmé because it is paired with a caring attitude, and she adores him.

Anita Booth plays three very different roles: Foster-Jenkins’ tired housekeeper, a devoted friend and a woman who believes that the soprano should be a canary that never sings again. She brings comedy, pathos and physicality, and at the close, when you only see three actors taking a bow, it makes you realise how good she is.

Ingrid Hu’s opulent set design, which changes in a flash, is beautifully etched and gives you real bang for your buck. One minute we are in Florence’s lounge, the next we are in a sound studio. But it *really* captures the feeling that wherever Foster-Jenkins goes, she is always on stage.

Some might say this play is a bit one-note; you giggle as the protagonist navigates a song and then takes many wrong turns. And in the second half, you start to go beyond the surface. But it does lack the depth of breadth of Stephen Frears film version which starred Meryl Streep. You long for another character to give you some balance.

But Wendi Peters keeps you involved at every turn, and with every look, glance, gurn and turn, as she prepares to belt a tune. There is something quite sad and poignant happening here. You can be well trained at something and yet lack commitment, passion and energy and, therefore, give off the feel of something robotic.

With many creatives worried about the impact of AI, Glorious! celebrates our individual and unique stamp, which simply says: “I was here!”

Glorious! is at The Hope Mill Theatre until 30^th March and can be booked here.