As the actor who portrays the legendary Florence Foster Jenkins' pianist Cosme McMoon in "Souvenir" at The Media Theatre, Carl Danielsen feels a strong connection not only to the play itself, but to the role. "Cosme is very much like me," Danielsen says. "When I read the play I felt very close to the material. I was up for the role when it originally played in New York, but wasn't quite old enough."

The parallels between Carl, the actor, and Cosme, the accompanist, are easy to spot. Both are accomplished classically trained pianists, and both are voice instructors. "When I am not working onstage, I have students. Some of them, much like Florence in the show, have the drive but not the talent."

Talent, of course, is relative, but Florence Foster Jenkins (played in Media by Tony nominated actress Ann Crumb) became legendary for her complete lack of it. In "Souvenir" the audience gets to know Florence, who was a Philadelphian for several years, through her working relationship with her accompanist. She had no pitch, no 'ear' for music, and certainly no voice, but it was her ambition (along with her large estate) which allowed her to 'perform' for bemused audiences at the Ritz Carlton and, eventually, at Carnegie Hall.

"If I would have been around in the '40's and if she would have asked me to accompany her, would I have done it?" Danielsen asked himself, and after one brief moment declared, "Yes. I would have. But I know my priorities and probably wouldn't have made the commitment Cosme made, to rehearse with her long term."

Danielsen's acting career began in the '80's after he spent four years as the Artistic Director for the Verdi Ristorante de Musica in Los Angeles. "It was a restaurant unlike any other," he explained. "Top quality opera singers from the Music Center would perform for us there. It was satisfying on a musical level, but after it closed I decided to pursue my career onstage."

He has performed off-Broadway quite frequently, most recently in "Trolls", "Picon Pie", and "Big Voice: God or Merman", which was the life story of a gay couple who wrote a musical. "2 Pianos, 4 Hands" is a show he has done in 18 cities across the US, in which two pianists portray multiple characters and close the show with a nine minute concerto. "A Marvelous Party: A Noel Coward Celebration", has won numerous awards, including Danielsen for Best Actor (A Jeff Award, Chicago's version of the Tony awards) and a nomination from the Los Angeles Drama Critics for Danielsen for Best Music Direction. Next up, he will once again take the stage in a production of "Singin' in the Rain" in Winchester, VA.

His thoughts on "Souvenir" in Media, which is directed by the theatre's Artistic Director Jesse Cline, are that 'the show is much more empathetic here, much more real' than he has seen in the past. Even on Broadway, he says, "The show was sitcomish, almost a cruel joke. But here, we are approaching the relationship between Florence and Cosme in a sympathetic manner. They were, after all, two real people. Florence did what she could do to pursue her dreams of a career, and who doesn't want to do that?"

For tickets to "Souvenir" at The Media Theatre (January 23-February 17) call 610-891-0100 or visit www.mediatheatre.org