Topic: My Fair Lady (Theater Company)

Anthony De Luca

Date: 2019-07-14 12:31 EST
Cast

Eliza Doolittle, a young Cockney flowerseller - Carina Cox Henry Higgins, a professor of phonetics - Eregor Tur Gairdin

Alfred P. Doolittle, Eliza's father, a dustman - Dorian Hadley

Colonel Hugh Pickering, Henry Higgins's friend and fellow phoneticist - Asher Price

Mrs. Higgins, Henry's socialite mother - Yasmin Freddy Eynsford-Hill, a young socialite and Eliza's suitor - Josh Stuart

Mrs. Pearce, Higgins's housekeeper - Anya Chavez

Zoltan Karpathy, Henry Higgins's former student and rival - Felix Bailey (NPC)

Anthony De Luca

Date: 2019-07-14 12:34 EST
Synopsis

Act I

In Edwardian London, Eliza Doolittle is a Cockney flower girl with a thick, unintelligible accent. The noted phonetician Professor Henry Higgins encounters Eliza at Covent Garden and laments the vulgarity of her dialect ("Why Can't the English?"). Higgins also meets Colonel Pickering, another linguist, and invites him to stay as his houseguest. Eliza and her friends wonder what it would be like to live a comfortable life ("Wouldn't It Be Loverly?").

Eliza's father, Alfred P. Doolittle, stops by the next morning searching for money for a drink ("With a Little Bit of Luck"). Soon after, Eliza comes to Higgins's house, seeking elocution lessons so that she can get a job as an assistant in a florist's shop. Higgins wagers Pickering that, within six months, by teaching Eliza to speak properly, he will enable her to pass for a proper lady.

Eliza becomes part of Higgins's household. Though Higgins sees himself as a kindhearted man who merely cannot get along with women ("I'm an Ordinary Man"), to others he appears self-absorbed and misogynistic. Eliza endures Higgins's tyrannical speech tutoring. Frustrated, she dreams of different ways to kill him ("Just You Wait"). Higgins's servants lament the stressful atmosphere ("The Servants' Chorus").

Just as Higgins is about to give up on her, Eliza suddenly recites one of her diction exercises in perfect upper-class style ("The Rain in Spain"). Though Mrs Pearce, the housekeeper, insists that Eliza go to bed, she declares she is too excited to sleep ("I Could Have Danced All Night").

For her first public tryout, Higgins takes Eliza to his mother's box at Ascot Racecourse ("Ascot Gavotte"). Though Eliza shocks everyone when she forgets herself while watching a race and reverts to foul language, she does capture the heart of Freddy Eynsford-Hill. Freddy calls on Eliza that evening, and he declares that he will wait for her in the street outside Higgins' house ("On the Street Where You Live").

Eliza's final test requires her to pass as a lady at the Embassy Ball. After more weeks of preparation, she is ready. All the ladies and gentlemen at the ball admire her, and the Queen of Transylvania invites her to dance with the prince ("Embassy Waltz"). A Hungarian phonetician, Zoltan Karpathy, attempts to discover Eliza's origins. Higgins allows Karpathy to dance with Eliza.

Anthony De Luca

Date: 2019-07-14 12:35 EST
Act II

The ball is a success; Karpathy has declared Eliza to be a Hungarian princess. Pickering and Higgins revel in their triumph ("You Did It"), failing to pay attention to Eliza. Eliza is insulted at receiving no credit for her success, packing up and leaving the Higgins house. As she leaves she finds Freddy, who begins to tell her how much he loves her, but she tells him that she has heard enough words; if he really loves her, he should show it ("Show Me").

Eliza and Freddy return to Covent Garden but she finds she no longer feels at home there. Her father is there as well, and he tells her that he has received a surprise bequest from an American millionaire, which has raised him to middle-class respectability, and now must marry his lover. Doolittle and his friends have one last spree before the wedding ("Get Me to the Church on Time").

Higgins awakens the next morning. He finds himself out of sorts without Eliza. He wonders why she left after the triumph at the ball and concludes that men (especially himself) are far superior to women ("A Hymn to Him"). Pickering notices the Professor's lack of consideration, and also leaves the Higgins house. Higgins despondently visits his mother's house, where he finds Eliza. Eliza declares she no longer needs Higgins ("Without You"). As Higgins walks home, he realizes he's grown attached to Eliza ("I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face"). At home, he sentimentally reviews the recording he made the day Eliza first came to him for lessons, hearing his own harsh words. Eliza suddenly appears in his home. In suppressed joy at their reunion, Professor Higgins scoffs and asks, "Eliza, where the devil are my slippers?"

((As always, feel free to post for your characters here and remember to have fun with it!))

Yasmin

Date: 2019-07-20 22:36 EST
Mrs. Higgins, Henry's socialite mother – Yasmin
Yasmin was sold at the word 'socialite'.

"Eddie, no, listen, you have to ask her. No, not ask her, DEMAND it of her!" Yas continued ranting to her agent.

"Yas, I don't get it. I think you have her number," Eddie replied, "and you probably see her just about every time you're up at the Shanachie."

"I know, but my demands have to come from you or else they wouldn't be demands....duh" Yas said bluntly.

"But Miranda designs all the costumes anyway, so I don't get why we're demanding anything," Eddie explained.

"But I haven't pulled any of my diva stunts in a while. I think people forgot about me..." Yas said solemnly.

"Yas, no one could forget you even if they wanted to."

"Aww-ww. Thanks, Eddie," Yas said excitedly, her former enthusiasm returning, "You always know what to say to make me feel better."

Eddie signed and continued, "Ok, so tell me more about these dresses you want..."

"AND HATS! Don't forget the hats! The bigger the better! For both!" Yas exclaimed.

Sira

Date: 2019-07-24 20:04 EST
It had been quite a while since Sira had made it to the theater. Things at the clinic had been so busy with a break out of summer colds that spread like wildfire which ground the camp to a halt. Try convincing a group of superstitious gypsies that it's just a virus that will pass with time and not some evil hex put on the camp, sometime. You'll lose plenty of time as well. She was so out of sorts that she completely missed the Summer Gala which had become a yearly favorite of hers. When she looked at the date on the flyer and then the date on her calendar....

And so she was determined to make a show.

There she was on opening night with her butt parked in a prime seat, wearing a simple tea length dress in the palest lilac chiffon and cinched in at the waist by a narrow white belt.

My Fair Lady wasn't one of her favorites, but the songs are fun and she happens to know them well enough to mouth along with the lyrics. And if the tunes weren't catchy enough, the costumes for this particular show never fail to amaze. In the end, she was standing at her seat and applauding with the crowd.

Another show well done.

Eregor

Date: 2019-07-25 23:26 EST
"You know, I've never actually seen a production  of My Fair Lady, not even the movie....well, not all of it. I caught a half-hour or so once. 'The Rain In Spain', well, everyone knows that." Eregor chuckled as he sat across from a Rhydin Post reviewer, indulging in a quick interview to promote the show. "So I didn't have any real preconceptions for the role, just a vague worry of not measuring up to Rex Harrison. Ha!"

His interviewer jotted down something down, then glanced at her notes. "Was it difficult to prepare""

Shaking his head, Eregor took a sip from his glass of lemonade. "No. I actually found it easier by channeling some of my old teachers back at the Academy. Pompous and arrogant, and so convinced of their superiority. It felt so good to move Higgins away from that to the realization that he truly cares for Eliza."

"I'm sure that acting opposite the lovely Carina made that easy."

Eregor raised an eyebrow in wry amusement. "I hope you're not fishing for a scandal, because you'd be very disappointed. Carina and I are both very much taken with our respective partners. and remain purely friends and castmates." There was a brief pause. "She can manage a mean Cockney, though. Totally accurate, trust me."

"One last question and then I'll let you go....what was your favorite moment in the production""

"Hmmmm. Honestly, I think it was the first full dress rehearsal. There's something about that period dress that just makes one feel extravagant. Elegant suits and fancy dresses, and really, really big hats. It's fun!"