Created by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe, ‘My Fair Lady’ is a musical based on George Bernard Shaw’s classic play, ‘Pygmalion’, which was first performed in 1913.
Its roots reach back to Greek mythology and the story of the sculptor Pygmalion, who falls in love with one of his creations which then comes to life.
In this musical, 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 lady, and features one of musical theatre’s greatest scores, including ‘Wouldn’t It Be Loverly?’, ‘With a Little Bit of Luck’, ‘The Rain in Spain’, ‘I Could Have Danced All Night’, ‘On the Street Where You Live’, ‘Get Me to the Church on Time’ and ‘I’ve Grown Accustomed to Her Face’.
When Lerner and Loewe’s ‘My Fair Lady’ opened on Broadway, it collected six Tony Awards, including Best Musical, while the film version took home eight Oscars, including Best Picture.
Well known Sydney musical theatre performer Emily Potts plays Eliza Doolittle and is thrilled to be playing a role that has been on her wish-list for a long time.
Emily said: “My Fair Lady is a musical I have adored since childhood. My mother introduced me to it at a young age as we were huge fans of Audrey Hepburn. I loved how ambitious Eliza was, how tirelessly she worked to make a better life for herself and was such a woman before her time.”
Paul Adderley plays the loveable although unreliable father of Eliza, Alfred P Doolittle. Paul said: “I am so excited to be playing a role played by one of my boyhood heroes, Stanley Holloway.”
Bankstown’s Gloria Collins plays Mrs Eynesford-Hill.
Gloria joined Bankstown Theatre Company in 1959, which was their 10th anniversary, as an ensemble member for ‘The Student Prince’: “I am thrilled to now celebrate Bankstown Theatre Company’s 70th anniversary by taking part in ‘My Fair Lady’; I will also be sharing the stage with my son Rickard, for only the second time in 43 years!”
Catch ‘My Fair Lady’ from this Friday, July 26, to Sunday, August 4.
For bookings, visit bankstowntheatrecompany.com or call 0481 869 858.
‘My Fair Lady’ to dazzle on stage
MARKING its 70th anniversary, Bankstown Theatre Company brings one of Broadway’s most beloved musicals, the Lerner and Loewe classic, ‘My Fair Lady’, to the Bryan Brown Theatre this Friday.