PCPA to Present MY FAIR LADY, 4/23-5/10

PCPA will present a sparkling new production of Lerner and Loewe's My Fair Lady this spring and summer season. It will play in the Marian Theatre April 23 through May 10, then in the Solvang Festival Theater June 11 through July 12.

The cast features Resident Artists Karin Hendricks as Eliza Doolittle, Andrew Philpot* as Henry Higgins, Peter S. Hadres* as Colonel Pickering, Kitty Balay* as Mrs. Higgins, Erik Stein* as Alfred P. Doolittle, Matt Koenig as Freddy Eynsford-Hill, George Walker as Jamie, and Elizabeth Stuart* as Mrs. Pearce.

My Fair Lady is directed and choreographed by Michael Jenkinson, Musical Director is Callum Morris, Scenic Designer is Jason Bolen, Costume Designer is Eddy L. Barrows, Lighting Designer is Michael P. Frohling, Sound Designer is Elisabeth Rebel, Dialect Coach is Jeff Parker, and Equity Production Stage Manager is Jahana Azodi

"The difference between a lady and a flower girl is not how she behaves, but how she is treated." -Eliza Doolittle

As with Bernard Shaw's play Pygmalion from which it was adapted, My Fair Lady explores society's prejudices toward class and gender while wrapped in a spectacular Lerner and Loewe score with such memorable tunes as "Wouldn't It Be Loverly?" "With a Little bit of Luck," "I Could Have Dance All Night," "The Rain in Spain," and "I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face."

World famous phonetics expert and British upper class bachelor, Henry Higgins is willing to wager that he can pass off a Cockney flower girl in high society as a duchess just by teaching her to speak proper English. It was an unconventional plot for a 1950s musical. The love interest doesn't even spark until near the end of the play.

Rodgers and Hammerstein were among a hand full of writers who turned down the chance to adapt Shaw's play. They claimed it wasn't romantic enough, too wordy, and would never work as a musical. Even Lerner and Loewe shelved the project in their initial attempt; later realizing the story needed little alteration. They went on to create an instant hit that has become a classic, and which is often referred to as "the perfect musical." The original Broadway production ran for over six-and-a-half-years, a total of 2,717 performances, and won 6 Tony Awards. Photo Credits top to bottom: Peter S. Hadres* as Colonel Pickering, Karin Hendricks as Eliza Doolittle, and Andrews Philpot* as Henry Higgins.

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