Considered by some to be the perfect musical, "My Fair Lady" has great songs, comedy and witty social commentary. Big League Productions' national tour of the show comes to the Gallo Center for the Arts in Modesto for four performances beginning Feb. 3.
Best known from the 1964 movie starring Audrey Hepburn and Rex Harrison, the show centers on a Cockney flower girl who is pulled from the streets and instructed in social graces as part of a bet between two professors.
Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe's songs include "On the Street Where You Live," "I Could Have Danced All Night" and "Get Me to the Church On Time."
"It has this lovely score that helps tell this story of this very endearing girl," said Aurora Florence, who stars as Eliza Doolittle. "Everyone loves Eliza — they fall in love with her."
Part of the show's strength, Florence said, is that it's based on George Bernard Shaw's well-written 1912 play, "Pygmalion." Most of the lines in the musical are taken word for word from the play. "Shaw always writes very funny, but he writes about the poignant and pressing issues of his time," she said. "He was a hugefeminist. Feminism was a huge thing he's pushing in this show. As well as the class system — he was against that, so he just tears it apart."
Shaw illustrates the superficiality of society by showing that a filthy, poor girl could gain respectability in the highest circles as soon as she learned how to speak proper English. That superficiality still exists today, Florence said, from people who judge others because they don't wear the right fashions to those who discriminate based on race.
Audiences may go to "My Fair Lady" to be entertained, but they also appreciate the message, Florence said.
"Truth resonates with people whether they're aware of it or not," she said. "They're drawn to it or attracted it."
The touring musical features a cast of 21, with lovely costumes set in the early 20th century, Florence said. "We have a solid, talented cast across the boards," she said. "Our entire cast does a good job of keeping it fresh and vibrant every night."
Florence tries to put her own spin on the role rather than copying Hepburn or Julie Andrews, who played the part on Broadway.
"If I try to be Audrey Hepburn or Julie Andrews, I would fall short, because I'm not," she said. "You can't impersonate anybody, because you're not that. I looked at the things they did well, which were a lot of things, and I tried to apply these same things to myself. I didn't try to copy them."
The show has been on the road since October and is getting good responses from audiences.
"It really is a great time," Florence said. "It's a great show because you can get out of it as much as you want. It's a deep show, but a really good time."
INFO
WHAT: 'My Fair Lady'
WHEN: 8 p.m. Feb. 3, 2 and8 p.m. Feb. 4 and 2 p.m. Feb. 5
WHERE: Rogers Theater, Gallo Center for the Arts, 1000 I St., Modesto
TICKETS: $39-$99
CALL: (209) 338-2100
ONLINE: www.galloarts.org
RSS
E-Mail
Print
reprint or license
