EastEnders and Corrie stars set for Glorious debut in Barnstaple this spring

Matthew James Morrison, direct from EastEnders after more than three years playing Felix Baker and his alter ego Tara Misu — the first drag queen to appear as a regular character in a British soap opera — is joining Wendi Peters in the 20th anniversary UK tour of the critically acclaimed West End hit comedy, Glorious! as Cosme McMoon. 

Glorious! is the true story of American socialite Florence Foster Jenkins (Peters), dubbed ‘the worst  singer in the world’, who staged and starred in classical recitals in major venues including Carnegie Hall. 

Mocked for her flamboyant performance costumes and poor off key singing, she nonetheless became a cult-figure in New York City during the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s. Celebrated composer and songwriter Cole Porter and classical conductor Sir Thomas Beecham were among her dearest celebrity fans.

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Glorious! follows Florence’s journey as she prepares for her biggest ever sold-out recital at New York’s prestigious Carnegie Hall, building an unlikely friendship with her accompanist, Cosme McMoon and  defying her army of critics to follow her dreams.

The Olivier nominated comedy is by Peter Quilter, whose Olivier and Tony-nominated West End and  Broadway play End of the Rainbow became the hit movie, Judy, starring Renée Zellweger — her performance as Judy Garland winning her the Academy Award for Best Actress, as well as the Golden  Globe Award, SAG Award, BAFTA Award and Critics’ Choice Movie Award. 

Stage and screen star Peters is best known for her long-running role as Cilla Battersby in the hit ITV soap Coronation Street and most recently was a regular on the BBC show Doctors as Nina Bulsara. 

Her many other TV credits include Midsomer Murders, Hetty Feather, Hacker Time and Sadie J. Wendi has also competed on various shows including Soapstar Superstar, Celebrity Mastermind, Celebrity  Masterchef and Celebrity Sewing Bee for Children in Need, which she won.

Wendi was most recently seen as Mother Superior in the UK tour of Sister Act. Her other theatre credits include: The Legend of  Sleepy Hollow (UK tour), You Are Here (Southwark Playhouse), BIG The Musical (West End), The Game (Northern Broadsides) and White Christmas (West End, Festival Theatre, Edinburgh, The Lowry, Salford).

Glorious! will be screeching around the UK from February to June 2026. 

The current production, directed by Kirk Jameson (Song From Far Away, Madagascar the Musical) premiered at Manchester’s Hope Mill Theatre. The 20th anniversary tour of Glorious! is produced by Thomas Hopkins with co-producers Craig Haffner and Sherry Wright and Sams Entertainment.

Glorious! is at the Queen’s Theatre in Barnstaple from March 31 to April 4. Visit https://queenstheatre-barnstaple.com for more information and tickets.

What else is on in North Devon in the coming weeks?