Today in 1976, the first Broadway revival of My Fair Lady opened at the St. James Theatre, where it ran for 377 performances. My Fair Lady is a musical based upon George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion and with book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe. The story concerns Eliza Doolittle, a Cockney flower girl who takes speech lessons from professor Henry Higgins, a phoneticist, so that she may pass as a well born lady. The musical's 1956 Broadway production was a hit, setting what was then the record for the longest run of any major musical theatre production in history. It was followed by a hit London production, a popular film version, and numerous revivals.
Today in 1938, Pygmalion opened at the Maxine Elliott's Theatre. Written by Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw, the play centers on Professor of phonetics Henry Higgins. He makes a bet that he can train a bedraggled Cockney flower girl, Eliza Doolittle, to pass for a duchess at an ambassador's garden party by teaching her to assume a veneer of gentility, the most important element of which, he believes, is impeccable speech. The play is a sharp lampoon of the rigid British class system of the day and a comment on women's independence, packaged as a romantic comedy.
Click below for a Sneak Peek at Connecticut Repertory Theatre, Summer Nutmeg Series Company's MY FAIR LADY starring Broadway's Terrence Mann and Soap Opera Star Eileen Fulton.
Currently in previews, Lincoln Center Theater's production of A MINISTER'S WIFE, a new musical with book by Austin Pendleton, music by Joshua Schmidt and lyrics by Jan Levy Tranen, based on Candida by George Bernard Shaw, conceived and directed by Michael Halberstam, opens Sunday, May 8, at 6:45pm. The cast for A MINISTER'S WIFE features Liz Baltes, Kate Fry, Drew Gehling, Marc Kudisch and Bobby Steggert. Here's a first look at a montage from the production!
Mrs. Warren's Profession opened on Sunday, October 3rd, 2010 for a limited engagement through Sunday, November 21st, 2010 and stars Cherry Jones as 'Kitty Warren.' The George Bernard Shaw classic, also stars Sally Hawkins as 'Vivie Warren' with Doug Hughes directing. Broadway Beat and BroadwayWorld were on hand to capture the opening night festivities with the cast and crew!
Mrs. Warren's Profession opens today, Sunday, October 3rd, 2010 for a limited engagement through Sunday, November 21st, 2010 and stars Cherry Jones as 'Kitty Warren.' The George Bernard Shaw classic, also stars Sally Hawkins as 'Vivie Warren' with Doug Hughes directing. BroadwayWorld is pleased to bring you highlights from the play!