Chicago Tribune
- Highly Recommended
"...This is a delicate piece mostly handled well on the Northlight stage (Powers catches the right earnest tone, beautifully). At times, Anders, Scott and the script all go a little more for the punched-out laugh than necessary. Jenkins is already smart, sad and funny. The show is at its best when McMoon is staring into the dark recesses of his own hypocrisies, even if he was just bringing a genuine star and her deserving public together."
Chicago Sun Times
- Highly Recommended
"...I confess that the idea of spending two hours listening to someone painfully botch the opera repertoire with her bellowing and bleating gave me pause. But while the vocals in this show are beyond laughable, they are just the means to the end of telling the moving tale of two intriguingly intertwined lives -- those of Jenkins (played by Neva Rae Powers, a fine singer who expertly manages to sound dreadful, but who might have aged more visibly in the second act), as well as her piano accompanist, Cosme McMoon (Mark Anders, a fleet pianist and deliciously droll actor)."
Chicago Reader
- Somewhat Recommended
"...Playwright Stephen Temperley allows Jenkins's self-deluded self-confidence to crack in the course of Souvenir, his 2004 "fantasia" about the tone-deaf diva. But it happens just once, late in the show, and feels forced. The rest of the time she's one thing and one thing only: the dotty dowager who couldn't carry a tune if it came with handles. Consequently the show feels repetitive and way too long, and it leaves Neva Rae Powers, who plays the role in Steve Scott's low-key Northlight production, little to do other than sing off-key and perfect her Margaret Dumont impression—though she also manages to throw an endearing childishness into the mix."
Copley News Service
- Highly Recommended
"...I left the theater full of admiration for Anders, a splendid actor and a fine pianist who serves as our guide in the improbable Foster Jenkins saga while delineating a full-bodied image of the disappointed artist, lonely gay man, and improbable guardian of an impossible woman."
Edge
- Highly Recommended
"...This two person play features spot on performances under Steve Scott’s unencumbered direction. As Cosme McMoon, Anders plays the piano with finesse and excels at bringing us into his deep conflict in supporting Jenkins’ demented perceptions. A talented composer in his own right, McMoon struggled for years to be discovered. His fears that he might be like Jenkins - a naïve laughing stock - are effectively addressed in Temperley’s script. Powers brings a sunny sincerity to Madame Flo, easily casting her spell on McMoon as well as the audience."
Time Out Chicago
- Somewhat Recommended
"...
For the most part, Souvenir milks its central joke mercilessly. It’s abetted by a phenomenal performance by Powers, who combines impeccably awful singing with a blissfully imperturbable facade. (Her real musical facility is made apparent in the piece’s final minutes.) The actress succeeds in making Jenkins seem less a figure of fun than a true American original."
ChicagoCritic
- Recommended
"...Jenkins’ devotion, passion and personal charisma charmed McMoon and a host of followers who enjoyed her novel style. Anders does yeomen work presenting his view of Jenkins. Souvenir is a mildly interesting bio-with music that could use a 20 minute trim as the novelty of horrible singing wears thin after Powers screeches a few times. The build up to Jenkins’ 1944 Carnegie Hall concert worked well. In the shows climax, we hear what Florence heard in her head as Powers sings a fabulous rendition of the Ave Maria."
Chicago Stage and Screen
- Recommended
"...Directed with great skill by Steve Scott, this is a charming little history lesson with two actors that bring this relationship to life before our very eyes. I would have to say that the only change I might make would be to shave some of the material and make this show a 90-100 minute, no intermission production. There are several spots and songs that might be cut down to get this done. I often feel that the intermission part of a show was designed to sell stuff and in many cases hurts the flow of the story for the audience, many of whom feel they must make a call or two during this period and then have a problem getting back into the story."
Chicago Theater Beat
- Highly Recommended
"...The script sticks entirely to Jenkins’ musical career, not touching on her failed marriage or her unconventional love life. We learn a bit more of McMoon, enough to understand his motivations and catch a dark edge that sharpens the play’s sophisticated humor. This is definitely one of those shows that leaves the audience wanting to know more about its characters."
