The nine plays which make up this year’s Newry Amateur Drama Festival will be outlined in turn. We kick off Friday evening (8.00 pm at the Town Hall) with Rosemary Drama Group of Belfast, one of my own favourite groups.
Glorious by Peter Quilter is based on a true story about Florence Foster Jenkins, a real-life eager but hopelessly inept American soprano, who built a whole career out of unintentionally butchering beautiful music – from opera arias to English folk songs – while gathering fans in the process and actually selling out Carnegie Hall.
At the pinnacle of her improbable fame, in the mid-1940s, she even charmed real artists like Cole Porter, who may have admired her chutzpah as much as they relished the sheer ludicrousness of her performances. Eddie the Eagle, The X Factor – Britain’s Got talent etc. If that’s your thing …. On the subject … lend an ear to this fabulous child star! As far as I know (I despise these talentless enterprises, designed to make millions for rude impresarios like Simon Cowell, and so do not watch or follow them) this young lady failed to win. Jackie Evancho is by far the best new singer (Opera, as it happens, but she can sing anything and plays two instruments also) I have heard in years. I confidently predict she will dominate the opera stage for at least a half century. What a pity her talent was spotted so soon. Her childhood is already over. And she such a beautiful child in every way! What a contrast to Florence Foster Jenkins! … By the way, skip the bulls**t by moving the pointer below the screen to 1.15 mins. Then sign off at 2.50 mins.