Photo Flash: MY FAIR LADY Opens at Maine State Music Theatre

MY FAIR LADY runs from Wednesday, June 30 through Saturday, July 17. Tickets are available online at www.msmt.org, by phone at (207) 725-8769, or at the box office at Pickard Theatre on the Bowdoin College campus.

MY FAIR LADY returns to the MSMT stage June 30 - July 17 after a leave of 15 years. Lauded as "...a miraculous musical," and ...a masterpiece of musical comedy...," the musical relates the story of Eliza Doolittle, a Cockney flower girl, whose life is transformed when Professor Henry Higgins, a phoneticist, undertakes teaching her to "speak like a lady." Based on George Bernard Shaw's play, PYGMALION, the musical is the collaboration of Alan J. Lerner (book and lyrics) and Frederick Loewe (music).

Since its premiere on Broadway on March 15, 1956, MY FAIR LADY has remained a huge hit with audiences around the world. It is the winner of 9 Tony Awards including Best Musical. The original production closed in 1962 after 2,717 performances, a record for its time.

MSMT's production marks the final directorial outing of Charles Abbott as Artistic Director of the theatre and the third time that he has directed MY FAIR LADY. The show will feature an acclaimed two-piano accompaniment, reminiscent of MSMT's early days under Victoria Crandall's leadership, playing the shows sixteen memorable songs.

New to the MSMT stage is British native Peter Simon Hilton who takes the role of Professor Higgins. Hilton is an award winning playwright, an international drama consultant, and has appeared in Theater Productions in both the US and UK. His credits include such shows as MY FAIR LADY, LES MISÉRABLES, OKLAHOMA, GREASE, GUYS AND DOLLS, FROST/NIXON and KING LEAR.

Kate Fisher, whose Broadway and National Tour credits include Cosette in LES MISÉRABLES, and Jo March in LITTLE WOMEN, returns to MSMT as the feisty Eliza Doolittle. Her past performances at MSMT include Fiona MacClaren in BRIGADOON and Emma Carew in JEKYLL AND HYDE.

Audience favorites John-Charles Kelly, in his 70th show at MSMT, and Ed Romanoff, in his eleventh season, respectively play the unflappable Colonel Pickering and Alfred P. Doolittle, Eliza's loquacious father. Chuck Ragsdale, a recent MSMT veteran, plays Eliza's admirer, Freddy Eynsford-Hill. Jane Altman and Phoebe Burston return as Mrs. Higgins and Mrs. Eynsford-Hill, respectively. Audience favorite Charis Leos follows her work in Always...Patsy Cline as Mrs. Pearce, Higgins' housekeeper.

Choreographer Connie Shafer, Set Designer Charles S. Kading, and Lighting Designer Jeffrey S. Koger, all long time MSMT collaborators, bring their unique talents to the show. Newcomer Abby Taylor Redmond joins the production team as Costume Designer.

MY FAIR LADY is generously sponsored by L.L. Bean, Downeast Energy, and The Times Record.

Broadway revivals of MY FAIR LADY in 1976, 1981, and 1993, garnered both Tony and Drama Desk Awards, and a West End revival in 2001, won five Olivier Awards. A movie version starring Rex Harrison and Audrey Hepburn, premiered in 1964, winning eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and three Golden Globe Awards. With plans in the works for a major film remake, MY FAIR LADY's popularity continues.