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EVENT DESCRIPTION
Glorious!, the worldwide stage comedy hit, brings to life the hilarious but true story of New York socialite Florence Foster Jenkins who in 1944, sold out Carnegie Hall in the same week as Frank Sinatra despite not being able to sing in tune! Her vocal performances were so appalling that she amassed a huge entourage of fans including famous artists such as Enrico Caruso and Cole Porter.
To bring her remarkable story to life, a glittering cast of professional actors will join members of City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong in presenting Peter Quilter’s original West End play with adaptations and new music selections by Leanne Nicholls. Leanne Nicholls directs this feast of comedy theatre and music to include works by Mozart, Fibich, Raff and Longo that were originally programmed at Madam Jenkins’ concerts during her legendary costume changes. The show aims to inspire audiences with a real-life example that following your passion is often more key than talent!
Immortalized by Meryl Streep in Florence, the award-winning Hollywood movie, Florence Foster Jenkins is an unbelievable but true-life character who rose to fame in New York during the 1940s. She possessed both a wealthy inheritance and an unwavering belief in her own musical talent despite her inability to sing in tune. She interviewed her audience members and hosted private recitals for them. Her legacy is kept in LP recordings of coloratura arias she made at New York’s Melotone Studios which she sold to her friends at her concerts. Her ultimate triumph was at Carnegie Hall where at the age of 76 she sang Mozart’s Queen of the Night aria in angel wings to a packed house as 2,000 audience members scrambled outside unable to get a ticket.
The comedy play GLORIOUS! follows Madam Jenkins (performed by actress/singer Jacqueline Gourlay Grant) as she pursues her musical dream while building a heart-warming friendship with her accompanist Cosme McMoon (performed by actor/pianist Micah Sandt). Sharing in her joyously delusional life is her actor boyfriend St Clair (performed by Christopher Price), her devoted friend Dorothy (performed by Candice Moore), her volatile Spanish-speaking maid Maria (performed by Joanna Montefiore), the sculptor Miss Darnault (performed by Rebecca J. Merritt) and her “enemy” Mrs. Verrinder-Gedge (performed by Jessica Ng). The production team includes Isaac Wong as set designer, Eva Yan as lighting designer and Kester Lee as sound designer. Costumes are co-ordinated by Yomi Cheng with Betty Wan as make-up and hair designer
GLORIOUS! will be performed in English and staged at the Sheung Wan Civic Centre Theatre on 07 & 08 February 2025, 7:30pm and 09 February, 2:30pm. The programme is suitable for ages six and above.
ABOUT THE ARTIST / ORGANISER
City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong (CCOHK) holds a unique position as one of Asia’s leading chamber orchestras. Members are professional musicians experienced in playing a diverse range of music styles and genres including Baroque, Classical, Contemporary, East/West Crossover, Tango, Jazz, Cinema and Orchestra Theatre. Established since 1999, CCOHK has performed with many world-class artists including Sir James Galway, Dame Evelyn Glennie, Dame Emma Kirkby, Sir Thomas Allen, Sir Neville Marriner, Michala Petri, Christian Lindberg, Sarah Chang, Philippe Entremont, Julian Lloyd Webber, Edgar Meyer, Branford Marsalis, Richard Galliano, Sharon Isbin and Dawn Upshaw. Additional highlights include concerts with the Vienna Boys’ Choir, The American Boychoir, the Warsaw Boys Choir, the Swedish Voices Chamber Choir, the King’s Singers and the Swingle Singers.On tour CCOHK has been invited to perform in Italy, Taipei, Beijing, Chengdu and at the 20th China Shanghai International Arts Festival. In Hong Kong, CCOHK’s engagements have included Hong Kong Ballet, French May Arts Festival, RTHK Radio 4’s televised Christmas Concerts in the Park, the World Harp Congress and The Hong Kong International Piano Competition. The orchestra’s CDs include world premiere recordings on four internationally acclaimed releases on the NAXOS, Orchid Classics, Forgotten Records and OUR Recordings labels. CCOHK’s passion for building young audiences for music has inspired the evolution of several new and fully staged musical productions and extravaganzas. Credits include Magnificent Mozart, The Star Bach, Vivaldi Unmasked, The Bonn Man, Haydn & The Prince, WILD (The Musical) and Bug Symphony, winner of the Public Choice Award at the YAMawards in Portugal 2017. At the helm of CCOHK’s artistic planning is CCOHK’s founder Leanne Nicholls who was awarded in the HKSAR’s Chief Executive’s 2022 Honours List for Community Service for her contributions to the development of classical music in Hong Kong. Chief conductors include French conductor Jean Thorel (2008 to 2016) and Armenian conductor and virtuoso pianist Vahan Mardirossian (since 2019).
