By Val O’Bryan
St. George Musical Theater presents My Fair Lady with a focus on the origins of the production. Despite nearly 60 passing since Audrey Hepburn charmed audiences in My Fair Lady, the film remains remembered and beloved, no doubt due to the casting of one of Hepburn as the main character, Eliza Doolittle. The film was a visual and auditory treat, with lavish sets and costumes (Those hats! The gowns!), and an Academy Award-winning score by Frederick Loewe, including songs such as “I Could Have Danced All Night,” and “On the Street Where You Live.”
Of course, true theater aficionados knew and loved the musical before Hepburn and the film came along. In fact, the film My Fair Lady is a musical adaptation of a Broadway musical by the same name, made famous by another unforgettable leading lady of the day, Julie Andrews. The detail that may have been forgotten over time is that creators Alan Jay Lerner and Frederic Loewe based their musical on an original play by George Bernard Shaw, Pygmalion. In fact, the script is nearly identical–the original words of Shaw give the production a solid literary backbone to support the incredible musical numbers.
Shaw’s play was a modern retelling of the Greek myth, Pygmalion. In the myth, Pygmalion is a sculptor who falls in love with a statue he has created. He perceives the statue as more beautiful than any human woman and names her Galatea. Eventually, the goddess Aphrodite brings Galatea to life. The couple live as husband and wife and in some versions of the myth, even have children. Shaw intended his play to be didactic–a learning experience for the audience. He was critical of social issues at the time, including class divisions and social expectations of women.
Shaw’s modern-day “Galatea,” Eliza Doolittle, experiences a transformation similar to her Greek counterpart. Eliza, a lower-class woman, attempts to use language and speech to elevate her social standing. And similar to Pygmalion, Henry Higgins desires to prove that he can “create” a lady out of a poor flower girl. As audiences familiar with the musical know, Higgins was successful and Eliza passes in society as a proper lady.
Where Shaw’s play and the musical My Fair Lady diverge is in the ending. In Shaw’s Pygmalion, Higgins’ “creation,” his “Galatea,” gains her new social standing and takes her own independence from her “creator.” Shaw empowered Eliza to move beyond Higgins’ low valuation of her and his verbal abuse and on to her own interests. Although the musicals (Broadway and the film adaptation), share the same characters, plot, and themes, the romanticization of the relationship between Eliza and Higgins changes some of the overall meaning that Shaw intended. This change probably made the play more appealing to a wider audience, but it also changed the focus of the story from societal issues to more of a romantic comedy.
For a limited time, audiences can enjoy an interpretation of the classic musical that successfully marries Shaw’s original intent with the romantic comedy and visual spectacle that audiences have come to associate with My Fair Lady. St. George Musical Theater’s director Kelly Olsen expertly infuses the Shavian influence without altering the beloved musical. He masterfully carries Shaw’s social critique through the production with humor and taste. The musical value is top-notch thanks to musical director Melodie Kimzey and an experienced cast of St. George’s finest. From the dancing by choreographer Christine France to the incredible hats and gowns by designer Amy Burbidge, audiences will enjoy a visual treat that is hard to beat. The cast includes Brooke Bang and Rachel Cox as Eliza (you will absolutely need to see it twice because both of these leads are amazing!), David Stanley (recently in SGMT’s Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and Kayenta’s Chess) as Higgins, John Blasko (from SGMT’s Crazy for You and Little Women) as Pickering, Eric Humphries as Freddy, Trey Paterson as Alfie Doolittle, AJ Reep as Zoltan Karpathy, Nerissa Cannon as Mrs. Hopkins, Jo Davis as Mrs. Higgins, Jared Hancock as Harry, Brian Stocks as Jamie, Rachael Rose as Mrs. Eynsford-Hill, and Jane Williams as Mrs Pearce.
St. George Musical Theater presents My Fair Lady. Book and Lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner. Music by Frederick Loewe.
Historic Opera House, 212 North Main Street, St. George, UT 84770
February 2-4, 6, 8-11, 13, 16-18, 20, 2023 7:30 PM
Matinee: February 4, 11, 18, 2023 2:00 PM
Tickets: $25
Contact: 435-628-8755, SGMTTICKETS@GMAIL.COMSt. George Musical Theater Facebook page
St. George Musical Theater, My Fair Lady, Audrey Hepburn, Julie Andrews, Alan Jay Lerner, Frederick Loewe, George Bernard Shaw, Kelly Olsen, Melodie Kimzey, Christine France, Amy Burbidge, Brooke Bang, Rachel Cox, Davide Stanley, John Blasko, Eric Humphries, Trey Paterson, AJ Reep, Nerissa Cannon, Jo Davis, Jared Hancock, Brian Stocks, Rachael Rose, Jane Williams,
0 Comments