Coronation Street star to appear on Oxford Playhouse stage

The Coronation Street star is taking on the role of Florence Foster Jenkins in a 20th-anniversary production of Glorious! at the Oxford Playhouse, running until Saturday, April 18.

Florence Foster Jenkins was an American socialite who became famous for her lack of musical talent, selling out concerts with her truly terrible singing.

Ms Peters, who became a household name as Cilla Battersby in Coronation Street, said: “Last March, I was Florence at the Hope Mill theatre in Manchester. We had a ball but it was hard work. I had to learn to sing opera badly.

“I’m a musical theatre performer; I started my career in productions like Guys and Dolls and Sondheim’s Into the Woods. More recently, I was in Sister Act.

“I can so it’s proved quite a challenge to sing off-key.

“Florence sings four big numbers in the play including Mozart’s Queen of the Night from The Magic Flute.

“I started by learning it note-perfect. Then, with the help of the musical director, we tweaked certain notes that I’d sing flat or where I’d get the phrasing wrong.

“I’ve got a stronger voice than Frances’s so I had to work at producing more of a reedy sound.”

Ms Peters reflected on whether Jenkins understood the reality of her performance shortcomings.

She said: “I wonder. I think it must sometimes have crossed her mind that audiences were laughing at her rather than with her and there would be a reason for that.”

The show has a mix of humour and emotion, especially in the later stages.

Ms Peters said: “Absolutely – and particularly in the second half of the play.

“On the other hand, she got her wish to perform to 3,000 people at Carnegie Hall, which would have bankrupted her if the concert hadn’t sold out.

“So, the woman had chutzpah.

“But whatever she might be doing wrong, she could see that she was loved, see that she entertained audiences.

“Mind you, it’s a shameful reflection on human nature that people get pleasure out of watching somebody doing something badly.

“But then, just think of the early auditions on X Factor.”

For millions, Ms Peters is best known for her time on Coronation Street, a role that changed her life.

She said: “I’d been working for 10 years when I got the role of Cilla but there’s no doubt she opened a lot of doors for me.

“Glorious! is a case in point. So, I’m grateful to her although, within a week of appearing in Corrie, I was being stopped in the street.

“You don’t realise the power of a soap until you actually appear in one as a regular character.”

Ms Peters enjoyed playing the mischievous but troublesome character, even if she wouldn’t want her as a neighbour.

She said: “To begin with, she was mischievous and fun but she quickly morphed into a bit of a monster.

“She wasn’t murdering anybody but she was a real trouble-maker.

“I don’t think anybody on the cobbles liked her but I loved playing her although I wouldn’t want to live next door to her.

“She’d have been a nightmare neighbour.

“It’s always more fun playing a baddie.”

Ms Peters left the soap in 2007 after four years, wanting to return to theatre and spend more time with her daughter.

She said: “I wanted to go back to doing other things like theatre and panto.

“Also, I was living in London at the time so I was having to travel up to Manchester a lot and I missed my little girl, Gracie, who was only four when I started playing Cilla.

“But luckily, they didn’t kill her off so she’s still out there somewhere.”

Ms Peters remains open to a possible return but is focused for now on her latest role.

She said: “People always ask that and I always answer in the same way: never say never.

“If they came up with an irresistible storyline, I might be tempted.

“That said, I’m too busy at the moment.

“My head is full of Florence.”