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Northwestern University's Dolphin Show, America's largest student-produced musical has announced its 71st annual production, My Fair Lady. This year's show, to be produced by School of Communications students, Rachel Birnbaum and Louis Schermerhorn and directed by Tristan Powell, will open tonight, January 25th in Northwestern's Cahn Auditorium and run until February 2nd.
My Fair Lady, with book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe, astonished and delighted audiences and critics alike with its original 1956 production and subsequent Academy Award winning film adaptation. Expertly re-imagining George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion, the piece tells a story of great transformation. Eliza Doolittle, a cockney flower girl, becomes the subject of a bet proposed to a local speech scientist, Henry Higgins. Can she be transformed from a lowly street beggar to a 'true' English lady, simply by learning to re-articulate her speech?
This new spin on the classic musical aims to re-invigorate this canonical text and bring new light to its dazzling theatricality. "I plan to explore its depiction not only of the maddening joy of love, but also companionship, friendship, and the experience of being touched by someone else." said Powell. "I aim to awaken and enliven the role of the ensemble in the show," Powell added, "and in doing so, heighten the dramatic tension that lies in Eliza's societal shift." The cast list for the 71st Annual Dolphin Show has officially been announced. Leading the cast is Nick Day as Henry Higgins and Lillie Cummings as Eliza Doolittle. Rounding off the cast will be: Jake Perlman as Colonel Pickering, Judd Korman as Freddy Eynsford-Hill, Gaby Hornig as Alfred Doolittle, Justin Schuman as Mrs. Higgins, Tasia Hoffman as Mrs. Eynsford-Hill, Hillary Aarons as Harry, Fergus Inder as Jamie, and Brittany Blum as Mrs. Pearce. The Servants chorus consists of Alana Grossman, Ashley Austin, Eliza Palasz, Kara Dunlevy, Collin Rice, and Jason Byer. The Ensemble will include Aleah Papes, Alyssa Sarnoff, Andrew Lee, Anne Martin, Austin James, Ben Rotter, Daniel Liu, Elizabeth Dauterman, Emily Lane, Garrett Hansen, Hannah Carroll, Ilana Goldstein, Isabel Thompson, Johnny Langan, Katherine Scott, Kylie Mullins, Lizzy Wigley, Logan Daum, Marlee Rich, Michael Fleischer, Natalie Robinson, Sam Garrott, Vivian Prieto, and Will Wilhelm.
To re-envision this classic musical visually as well as intellectually, our student designers are already hard at work bringing a modern sensibility to this old English world. Elli Williamson will design the set; Chelsea Taylor, costumes; David Griffin, lights; Grover Hollway, sound; and Emma Pardini, props. These students work alongside a design team of over sixty students to bring these visions to life. The Dolphin Show celebrates the diverse talents of the Northwestern University undergraduate community by providing opportunities to learn and excel in all artistic and administrative fields. The Dolphin Show presents a professional- caliber production, boasting a team of over one hundred fifty passionate students. The Dolphin Show, a tradition for Northwestern and the Greater Chicago community alike looks forward to sharing this story with all generations of theatre-goers. From its beginning in a Northwestern University swimming pool in 1940, to the move onto dry land, the Dolphin Show has had a rich history of pushing theatrical limits. Holding its place at the forefront of national student theatre for over seven decades, this year will be no different. We look forward to sharing this timeless and captivating story with thousands this January.
Visit www.nudolphinshow.org for more information and to buy tickets, on sale November 13th.
