Stoneham Theatre Closes MY FAIR LADY, 5/2

Stoneham Theatre will close "My Fair Lady"; directed by Caitlin Lowans and featuring Robyn Lee and Timothy John Smith on May 2nd.

"My Fair Lady" has been declared the "perfect musical" and it may very well be one of the greatest musicals of the past century, contributing to personal musical landscapes since 1956. Although all but the newest generations have "grown accustomed to her face," we never seem to tire of it - as just we wait to dance all night on the streets where we live.

Caitlin Lowans directs this rarely staged local professional production of the fabled Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe masterpiece, based on George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion. When self-absorbed professor Henry Higgins, played by Timothy John Smith, wagers that he can make a proper lady out of Cockney flower girl Eliza Doolittle, portrayed by Robyn Lee, Eliza and Henry both begin a transformation that neither of them could anticipate. Director Lowans is particularly interested in delving into the original impetus behind Shaw's intent, unearthing the elements that provoke a strong-willed man to match wits with a strong-willed woman. In Lowan's interpretation, the usual fanfare is meticulously deconstructed to reveal the raw elements of a complicated relationship. Henry Higgins may be an ordinary man, but he's let Eliza Doolittle in his life and his sabbatical is indeed through.

Stoneham Theatre's Artistic Associate Caitlin Lowans, who recently directed the popular "The Dinosaur Musical" as well as last season's "Picnic" and "A Year with Frog and Toad," has assembled the stellar cast of Lee and Smith, along with the following performers who double in other roles: Paul Farwell as Alfred P. Doolittle, Ann Marie Shea as Mrs. Higgins, Russell Garrett as Pickering, and a large vocal ensemble accompanied by a live band, led by drummer Mick Lewander. The artistic team also includes Ilyse Robbins (Choreographer), Judy Hayward (Music Director), Franklin Meissner, Jr. (Lighting Designer), Kathryn Kawecki (Scenic Designer), Stacey Stephens (Costume Designer), Lauren Duffy (Props Design), and John Stone (Sound Engineer).

Stoneham Theatre, a professionally producing regional theatre, is the only company founded within the past ten years ranked by the Boston Business Journal among the area's ten most popular performing arts organization. It is consistently praised by critics and audiences for its superior caliber of production, its connection to the communities it serves and its comfortable atmosphere. Weylin Symes serves as the theatre's Producing Artistic Director. Visit www.stonehamtheatre.org.

Stoneham Theatre is also home to the Atelier Gallery, a satellite gallery of the Griffin Museum of Photography, showcasing fine art photography. For more information on the exhibition schedule, log onto www.griffinmuseum.org/exhibitions_atelier.htm. The Atelier Gallery is open Tuesdays through Saturdays, 1-6 p.m., and one hour before each theater performance. The gallery can be accessed through the Stoneham Theatre's lobby; free and open to all.