ALL’s WELL THAT ENDS WELL   (I Think…)

GLORIOUS
by Peter Quilter
Directed by Daniel Schay
Phoenix Theatre
January 6 – 24, 2010
602-254-2151

     When a show starts out as ponderously as GLORIOUS, I am never surprised when at least a few patrons decide to leave at intermission. And that is exactly what happened the night I saw this current Phoenix Theatre production. With corny jokes abounding, some  rather lackluster acting and a general overabundance of exposition in its first act, GLORIOUS got off to a decidedly slow start, so slow in fact, that the entire row of people in front of us took their leave! Even with its beautiful costuming and a lovely versatile set (both designed by Carey Wong) as well as an energetic performance by young Toby Yatso as Cosme, the first act just did not engage the audience at all. Actually it was rather dull.

     However, seasoned theatergoers should learn that you cannot judge a book by its cover, nor an entire play by its first hour. In the second act, the tables turned. What was added was a spoonful of old fashioned conflict (the mother lode of good theater) and much improved laugh lines which finally got a reaction from viewers.   What had been a stilted, uninteresting but true story of an heiress, who despite her lack of musical ability became a singing sensation in New York, morphed into a funny serio - drama of  three people who defied the odds and triumphed over the world in their own way.

     Some of  the best laugh lines were based on double entendre concerning the gay lives of icons like Cole Porter; some of the funniest scenes were played by Toby Yatso as the initially unwilling but soon totally devoted pianist who accompanied the fabled  Florence Foster Jenkins as she wowed New York with her off key concerts. In addition, the antics of Maria Amorocho as a Spanish only speaking maid were terrific. These two actors alone were worth seeing the show. Unfortunately, the lead role of Florence played by Neva Rae Powers (who has played this part all over the country) seemed to lack the energy and credibility to make it come to life. Perhaps she has simply done the show one too many times and lost the spark. Lack of believability was also the case with Jeffrey Wolf as Florence’s  paramour, St. Clair and her friend Dorothy, played by Linda Sandee -  Larson. Both of these actors were satisfactory but nothing to write home about. Yatso and Amorocho, on the other hand stood out in their roles.

     I am afraid I must also mention several very unrealistic sound effects which did not meet the high standards of Phoenix Theatre – in particular the car crash and sound of dishes breaking coming from the kitchen. The one thing which Florence did do very well (and one of the hardest things for an actor to do) was singing off key. If you have any sense of music (and I assume that Powers does), it is very difficult to sound realistic when you must sing poorly. But Powers pulls this off in spades. In particular the aria from Carmen which she performs at her concert is spectacular! And that is a good thing  because it makes it possible for us to forgive her otherwise lackluster performance.