MY FAIR LADY Comes to The Long Beach Playhouse

The Long Beach Playhouse closes its Mainstage season with the classic and much beloved musical My Fair Lady. Most people know the story of Eliza Doolittle - a flower seller of limited means with a feisty personality whom Professor Higgins transforms into a Victorian lady who can engage with people of wealth and means without a hint of the once-humble street vendor showing through the facade.

"The play is Lerner and Loewe at their finest. It was originally produced in 1956, an era before women's rights and raised consciousness about gender equality was in the mainstream dialogue. Things have changed in the 60 years since it was first produced," said Sean Gray, Artistic Director for the Playhouse.

"I chose Phyllis Gitlin to direct this show because I knew she'd bring a feminist sensibility to the show. Rather than seeing Eliza Doolittle as a creation of Professor Higgins, she'd understand she was a woman who wanted more from life and saw a way to achieve it." In her director notes, Ms. Gitlin reminisces about her first encounter with the play many years ago and her current view of Eliza as a woman stifled by the mores of the era, her class and her gender.

"I love our musicals," said Madison Mooney, Playhouse Executive Director. "They are a chance for us to showcase our costume shop and our technical crews. Donna Fritsche and her volunteers have the sewing machines at top speed all day. It's a big cast and an era of glorious and fanciful garb. Our audience will be treated to a charming spectacle of design. The set will be a visual delight. The musical score is beloved by everyone. I can't wait for opening night!"

Stephen Olear is the Musical Director for this show. He's a talent musician who has been featured in several recent shows including as a mermaid musician in Peter and the Starcatcher and the Kit Kat Club's crossdressing bandleader in Cabaret. His impressive agility with the musical score is the foundation for Kysa Cohen's choreography. Together they create a memorable mélange of music and movement that are nothing short of magical.

It's a large cast, 19 actors, singers and dancers that are a mix of debuts and returning performers. Those making their debuts are: Caren E. Salas, Micah Lee, Dylan Boggan, Gabriela Lara, Taryne Moyse, Nhi Pham, Noemi Salazar, Erika Schwartz and Ethan Trejo. Performers returning to the Playhouse are: Nori T. Schmidt, Michael Kaye, Kathleen Fabry, Lawrence Ingalls, Gregory Cohen, Lisa J. Salas, Carole Louise Duffis, Serena Bottiani-Henderson, Lorraine Winslow and Austin James.

The show opens June 30 and runs through August 4.

SPECIAL EVENTS FOR THIS PLAY:

• Pay what you can Dress Rehearsal Thursday June 28 - community can see this production for whatever they can afford
• Two for One Preview Friday June 29 - Tickets are $10.00
• Opening Night Champagne Reception with cast on June 30 - Tickets are $27.00

Ticket Pricing:
Friday: Adults are $20.00, Seniors $18.00, and Students $14.00Saturday and Sunday: Adults are $24.00, Seniors $21.00, and Students $14.00.

Tickets are available at www.lbplayhouse.org, or by calling 562-494-1014, option 1.
To request an interview with the director, cast members or reserve your media tickets to this performance, please send an email to: pr@lbplayhouse.org.
Long Beach Playhouse is located at 5021 E. Anaheim St., Long Beach, CA, 90804, right across from the Long Beach Recreation golf course. The Playhouse is community-supported theatre with programs and events that cut across age, gender, ethnic, and cultural boundaries.

Performances are 8 p.m. Friday, and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. The box office is open Wednesday-Saturday from 3:00-8:00 pm and Sundays from 1:00-2:00 pm on scheduled matinees.