The Rep Concludes 08-09 Season W/ SOUVENIR 3/11-29

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis (The Rep) concludes its 2008-2009 Studio Theatre series with the St. Louis premiere of Stephen Temperley's Souvenir.

Performances of Souvenir will be given in the Emerson Studio Theatre of the Loretto-Hilton Center for the Performing Arts, 130 Edgar Road, Webster Groves, March 11-29, 2009.

Curtain times are Tuesday at 7:00 pm; Wednesday-Friday at 8:00 pm; Saturday evenings at 5:00 pm; selected Saturday nights at 9:00 pm; and Sunday at 2:00 pm and 7:00 pm.

All seating in the intimate 125-seat Emerson Studio Theatre is general admission. Ticket prices start at just $34. To purchase, visit The Rep Box Office, located inside the Loretto-Hilton Center, charge by phone by calling (314) 968-4925, or visit The Rep's online box office at www.repstl.org.

Subtitled "A Fantasia on the Life of Florence Foster Jenkins," Souvenir imagines the story of a real-life 1930s and 40s New York socialite who believed herself to be a naturally-gifted coloratura soprano-even though she couldn't sing a single note in tune.

Independently wealthy, quite eccentric and possessed of an indomitable zest for music, Florence Foster Jenkins became a cult sensation when the private charity concerts she gave for friends in the ballroom of the Ritz Carlton began attracting standing-room-only crowds.

To prepare herself to face a larger audience, she engages the services of Cosme McMoon, an up-and-coming but insecure young pianist and composer struggling to pay the rent and who, at first, sees his "coaching" of the deluded matron as a means to earn a few easy bucks.

As the self-doubting accompanist begins to work with the vocalist having no self-doubt whatsoever, the pair develop aw unique and unexpected friendship. McMoon comes to love and admire his patron despite her delusions, and seeks to protect her from the audiences she sees as adoring but he sees rolling in the aisles with laughter at her.

It's one thing, though, for a tone-deaf diva to play small engagements to audiences of acquaintances. When Jenkins is invited to record her warblings and, eventually, to play a sold-out 1944 concert at Carnegie Hall, McMoon begins to wonder if he can continue to shield his friend from the giggling, gossip and jeers.

A heartfelt, warm and wickedly funny look at the limits of self-perception and the unpredictable nature of friendship, Souvenir is also a tribute to Jenkins' sincerity, ambition and passionate love of music despite-or perhaps because of-her inability to make it.

The cast of Souvenir at The Rep is Edwin Cahill as Cosme McMoon and Neva Rae Powers as Florence Foster Jenkins.

Souvenir is directed by Michael Evan Haney, who previously directed productions of The Syringa Tree in the Studio Theatre, Witness for the Prosecution and The Heidi Chronicles on the Mainstage and Bad Dates in the Off-Ramp series. The creative staff includes Brian C. Mehring, scenic designer; Betsy Krausnick, Tracy Christenson and Reba Senske, costume designers; John Wylie, lighting designer; Fitz Patton, original sound designer (design adapted by Rusty Wandall); and Champe Leary, stage manager.

For more information about Souvenir, including a guide introducing the characters, plot and background on the play; photos and video related to the production; and more, visit The Rep's comprehensive website at www.repstl.org.

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