SPONSORED BY Supporting Sponsors: Madeline Van Dyck & Anonymous SOUVENIR: MARCH. 2009 S M T W T F S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

"Hilarious and deeply touching... a loony triumph!"
-The New York Daily News

"A beguiling comic jewel with a heart."
-Variety

"Life holds up a funhouse mirror to art in SOUVENIR... 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

For more than half a century the name Florence Foster Jenkins has been guaranteed to produce explosions of derisive laughter. Not unreasonably so, as this wealthy society eccentric suffered under the delusion that she was a great coloratura soprano when she was in fact incapable of producing two consecutive notes in tune. Nevertheless, her annual recitals in the ballroom of the Ritz Carlton hotel, where she resided, brought her extraordinary fame. As news of her terrible singing spread, so did her celebrity. Her growing mob of fans packed her recitals, stuffing handkerchiefs in their mouths to stifle their laughter- which Mrs. Jenkins blissfully mistook for cheers. The climax of her career was a single concert at Carnegie Hall in 1944. Famously, it sold out in two hours.

Souvenir, by turns hilarious and poignant, tells her story through the eyes of her accompanist, Cosme McMoon. A talented musician, he regards her at first as little more than an easy way to pay the rent, but, as he gets to know her, his initial contempt gives way to reluctant admiration, then friendship and affection. Eyewitness accounts of their concerts vary so wildly it is almost impossible now to separate fact from gossip. Hence this fictional "biography," in which we follow the story of their partnership from its earliest days to their concert in Carnegie Hall and its aftermath. With each new imagined triumph Florence's confidence soars. Faced with her boundless certainty, Cosme comes to revise his attitude, not only towards her singing but the the very meaning of music itself. As the play ends, the audience enters her world completely, finding there the beauty she'd heard in her head all along. A musical odd-couple for the ages.

Mimi Wyche (Florence Foster Jenkins) has been a professional actor and singer for thirty years. She has performed in two Broadway shows, fifteen Off-Broadway productions, and in over thirty regional plays and musicals. Favorite roles include “JellyLorum” in CATS on Broadway, “Mrs. Lovett” in Stephen Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd at the Guthrie Theater, and “Claire” in Edward Albee’s A Delicate Balance at the Jungle Theater in Minneapolis. As a soprano soloist, Mimi has worked in New York at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, City Center, and Town Hall, singing with numerous symphonies and opera companies. Recent endeavors include participation in the popular Encore series in New York, and performing the role of “The Old Lady” in the Minneapolis Orchestra’s production of Candide. She has also appeared as a special guest on Garrison Keillor’s A Prairie Home Companion and worked with Julie Taymor. Throughout her career, Mimi has been actively involved in theater in Greenville, both as a performer and educator.

Mark Nadler (Cosme McMoon) has performed at Carnegie Hall with the New York Pops Orchestra and has been a soloist with the Baltimore Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony, Oregon Symphony, National Arts Centre Symphony in Ottawa and others. He has played New York City’s Town Hall, Lincoln Center and in almost every significant night-club in New York City and Los Angeles, notably, Four Seasons at Sardi’s (where a caricature of Mark hangs among the other famous faces), The Oak Room at the Algonquin Hotel, The Cinegrill in the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, Maxim’s and the West Bank Cabaret where he was, at the age of nineteen, the house master-of-ceremonies and musical director. For his cabaret work he has received a total of ten awards from the Manhattan Association of Cabarets, The Backstage Bistro Awards and the New York Nightlife Awards. His off-Broadway Gershwin Revue, American Rhapsody, was nominated for a Drama Desk Award and two Lucille Lortel Awards. Mark’s Broadway credits include The Sheik of Avenue ‘B’, Dame Edna: The Royal Tour and the upcoming Russian on the Side, a one-man show which Mark Nadler wrote and performs, directed by Mark Waldrop. Abroad, Mark has performed in England, Ireland, Scotland, France, Belgium, The Netherlands and Australia. For more about Mark and to purchase recordings and DVDs, visit www.MarkNadler.com