NMST Opens Season with MY FAIR LADY, 6/7-19

Bill Hanney's all new North Shore Music Theatre (NSMT) opens its 2011 season with the classic Broadway smash hit musical, MY FAIR LADY playing from June 7 - 19. Press night is scheduled for Wednesday, June 8 at 7:30 p.m.

"I am delighted to welcome audiences back to North Shore Music Theatre for another season of fantastic entertainment. My Fair Lady is one of my favorite shows. I am very proud to open my second season with this production starring television star, Charles Shaughnessy," says NSMT's owner and producer, Bill Hanney. "Anyone who has seen Charles' work on "The Nanny" knows that he was born to play this role. Charles, his costar Lisa O'Hare, and the entire cast will bring this classic story to life in a lavish production that is sure to delight the eyes as well as the ears."

Hailed as one of the greatest musicals of all time, My Fair Lady is the timeless story of Professor Henry Higgins, the crotchety, middle-aged bachelor and phoneticist and Eliza Doolittle, the Cockney flower girl, who becomes part of his experiment in order to transform herself into a "lady." The story is based upon George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion with book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe. The score features hits including: I Could Have Danced All Night, Get Me to the Church on Time, Wouldn't it Be Loverly, The Rain in Spain and I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face.

MY FAIR LADY will star Charles Shaughnessy as Professor Henry Higgins. Born and raised in London, England, Charles has enjoyed a successful and varied career on large and small screen, from his six year stint as Maxwell Sheffield on " The Nanny" to his memorable arc as St. John Powell in AMC's hit series: "Mad Men." You can also catch his voice as the Maze in the recent release: " Your Highness." Charles' many stage appearances include the Triple Tony Award winning Broadway musical Urinetown," Pasadena Playhouse's acclaimed production of Orson's Shadow, as well as double dipping as Arthur in both Camelot and Spamalot.

Lisa O'Hare will be reprising the role of Eliza Doolittle at North Shore Music Theatre. Lisa made her USA theater debut playing Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady as part of Cameron Mackintosh's National tour for which she received nominations for a Helen Hayes award and was nominated and won both the Elliot Norton award and a Denver Post Ovation award. London theatre credits include: the title role in both Mary Poppins and Gigi, as well as Trevor Nunn's Anything Goes at Theatre Royal Drury Lane.

Also featured in MY FAIR LADY will be Peter Cormican (Colonel Pickering), Sarah deLima (Mrs. Higgins), Bill Dietrich (Alfred P. Doolittle), Cheryl McMahon (Mrs. Pearce), and Hayden Tee (Freddy Eynsford-Hill).

The cast of 19 performers is completed by Audrey Cardwell, Sarah Ellis, Thomas Gibbons, Jordan Grubb, Eric Huffman, Robin Lounsbury, John Matthew Myers, Sarah O'Connor, Ellen Peterson, Jp Qualters, Lisa Rohinsky, and Joseph Torello.

MY FAIR LADY will be directed by Charles Repole and choreographed by Michael Lichtefeld, the same team that created NSMT's 2008 production of 42nd Street. The creative team also includes Craig Barna (Musical Director), Howard C. Jones (Scenic Designer), Gail Baldoni (Costume Designer), Jack Mehler (Lighting Designer), James R. McCartney (Sound Designer), John Godbout (Production Stage Manager), Cassandra Marsh (Assistant Music Director), and Natalie A. Lynch (Assistant Stage Manager).

 

Tickets for MY FAIR LADY are priced from $35 - $65. Performances are June 7 - 19, Tue - Thurs at 7:30 pm, Fri & Sat at 8 pm, matinees Wed, Sat and Sun at 2 pm. For tickets and information call (978) 232-7200, visit www.nsmt.org, or visit the box office in person at 62 Dunham Rd. Beverly. 5-Show Subscription and 3- Show Trio Packages are available to purchase.

Additional Free Audience Enrichment events: Meet the Theatre: post-show audience discussion with the artists on June 14 after the 7:30 pm performance June 18 after the 2 pm performance; OUT at the North Shore, an evening for the Gay and Lesbian Community with a post-show reception (sponsored in part by Ryan & Wood Inc. Distilleries and Sparkling Soirées) on June 16 after the 7:30 pm performance.

The 2011 season continues with Tarzan (July 12 - 24), Footloose (August 16 - 28), The King and I (September 27 - October 19), Legally Blonde (November 1 - 13), and concludes with the return of New England's brightest holiday tradition A Christmas Carol, December 2 -23, starring David Coffee as Ebenezer Scrooge.