There is something undeniably magnetic about watching bad
singers perform.
“American Idol,” for example, is a perennial hit
because audiences like to see the comical dreamers of the early
episodes croon their way to television infamy. A generation before
Kelly Clarkson was crowned reality royalty by the public, though,
Florence Foster Jenkins captured the hearts of Manhattan’s
elite at a sold-out performance at Carnegie Hall in 1944.
The only catch is that Jenkins was completely tone-deaf.
From now until Nov. 12, Broadway veteran and UCLA alumna Judy
Kaye returns to Los Angeles in the role of Jenkins in the play
“Souvenir” at Brentwood Theater. Kaye, who won a Tony
for “Phantom of the Opera,” spent her formative years
studying theater at UCLA and graduated in 1973. She credits the
school for preparing her for a career onstage.
“UCLA is in the heart of one of the world’s
entertainment capitals,” Kaye said. “There are all
these resources to draw upon. There is a constant flow of fabulous
people that helped prepare us for the business.
“The acting specialization was an exhaustive conservatory
program within the department,” she added. “The
training transferred right away into usable knowledge. I had the
opportunity to show my wares to people in the business and started
working immediately.”
While at UCLA in 1968, Kaye was cast to play Lucy in the Los
Angeles company’s production of “You’re a Good
Man, Charlie Brown!,” and continued to perform the role for
the entirety of the show’s two-year run. Kaye also created
the role of Rizzo in the national company production of
“Grease” in 1973 alongside John Travolta, and made her
Broadway debut in the same role in 1977.
Unlike the big production musicals Kaye has been known for,
“Souvenir” is a fantasia that imagines the events
surrounding Jenkins’s unusual life and rise to fame.
A fixture on the New York social scene, Jenkins, a 1930s
socialite, believed herself to be a coloratura soprano ““ a
singer with an adorned, ornamented style. Unfortunately, that could
not have been further from the truth.
The play, written by Stephen Temperley, deals with fame,
self-delusion and friendship through the characters of Jenkins and
her accompanist Cosme McMoon, portrayed by Donald Corren.
“The play has something very important to say. It’s
not about a lady who sang badly, but rather a sort of love
story,” Kaye said.
The current production of “Souvenir” is the third
time Kaye has stepped into the role she originated in 2004. She was
nominated for a 2006 Tony award for her portrayal of the
heroine.
Kaye describes Jenkins as the best part she ever had.
“This is simply a great character,” Kaye said.
“She’s so well written, a marvelous character. This is
a fantasia that gives me opportunities to explore. Something about
this character is utterly fulfilling.”
Luckily for Kaye, who has made a career from her vocal talents,
singing badly has not taken too much of a toll on her voice.
According to Kaye, Jenkins’s falsetto is surprisingly gentle
on her own voice.
Kaye added that, with a character like Jenkins, she can take
creative liberties and make each song suit her vision of the
character.
“Because she had no pitch or rhythm, I have to find my way
into each song,” she said. “I take liberties with the
character.”
After three runs as Jenkins, Kaye has come to respect the
character’s insuppressible confidence and vigor.
“With Jenkins, it mostly had to do with desire. What she
lacked in talent, she made up for with passion, desire and a few
bucks,” Kaye said.
With those few bucks, Jenkins bankrolled her own records. Her
nails-on-the-chalkboard recordings are still available today.
Kaye also emphasizes that creating the character of Jenkins was
a collaborative experience with director Vivian Matalon and writer
Temperley.
“I have a close connection with Temperley; I can ask him
for the meaning behind his words,” Kaye said. “Our
director was my best friend in this process. He guided me and kept
me honest. Most people think this is a one-woman show, which is not
true. It’s a two-person play ““ Corren is a great
artist.”
Kaye believes that L.A. audiences will not only find
“Souvenir” to be touching and heartfelt, but also
provocative.
“I hope they get some laughter, shed a tear or two, and
also see some of themselves up there,” Kaye said. “To
some degree, we all dilute ourselves, just like
Florence.”