Glorious!
Derby Theatre, 24th February 2026
Florence Foster Jenkins was a New York socialite and amateur soprano who lived entirely for her music, becoming something of a phenomenon in the 1940s. With a loyal following of mostly ladies of a certain age, her performances of operatic classics were legendary, attracting big names of the day such as Cole Porter and Tallulah Bankhead. The highlight of her unlikely singing career was a sell‑out performance at the prestigious Carnegie Hall — an impressive feat for any singer, but all the more remarkable given Florence’s notoriously terrible voice.
Glorious! first premiered in London to critical acclaim with Maureen Lipman in the lead role, and a 20th‑anniversary production, directed by Kirk Jameson, opens this week at Derby Theatre ahead of a national tour. This revival is a pared‑down version of the original, eliminating the character of Florence’s long‑term companion and manager St Clair and reducing the role of Dorothy — played here by Sioned Jones — to a shadow of her former theatrical self. Jones, who understudied Maureen Lipman in the original West End production, does well with her material but is seriously underused.
In the lead role, former Coronation Street actress Wendi Peters pitches her Florence somewhere between Julia Child and Hyacinth Bucket. Her characterisation leans too heavily into caricature, leaving Florence as a rather two‑dimensional figure of fun to be mocked rather than understood. Peters’ delivery lacks variety and nuance, particularly in the first half, where her repetitive, flowery patterns of speech quickly begin to grate.
As pianist Cosme McMoon, Matthew James Morrison is at ease charting a journey from bewilderment to genuine affection and respect for Florence, despite her lack of talent. Some of Cosme’s cheeky asides feel underplayed, and his final tribute following Florence’s Carnegie Hall triumph is rushed, losing much of the moment’s poignancy. Caroline Gruber performs well in her dual roles as Florence’s Italian housemaid Maria and as Verrinder Gedge, whose attempts to expose Florence as a talentless usurper achieve little impact.
Peter Quilter’s script remains a reliable crowd‑pleaser, but the decision to reduce the roles of supporting characters means we lose much of Florence’s humanity as reflected by those closest to her. Combined with an underwhelming set, this production risks reducing Florence to little more than a novelty act, obscuring the important message of her unconventional life – that life is too short to not do what we love. Whatever the reason, Florence Foster Jenkins brought laughter and joy to people’s lives during some very dark times simply by pursuing what she loved most, despite what others may have thought or said. In the words of the woman herself, “People may say I can’t sing, but no one can ever say I didn’t sing”.
