By now, the plot has progressed to the big question, What will Henry and Liza do about each other? Sheehan sings Hymn To Him, the lyrics and the melodic mood of which deal with that question, his doubts, his unexpressed hopes. Nic Casuala is supremely comic-operatic in his big number, Get Me To The Church On Time. Pearce( Aili Venho) sing You Did It, but Liza reacts with a song of remonstrance (a reprise of Just You Wait). To express their joy at their success in beginning to transform Liza into a lady, Higgins and Pickering and Mrs. Act One concludes with The Embassy Waltz, an orchestral piece, in the setting of the Transylvanian Embassy Ballroom. Roger Reed plays Freddy Eynsford-Hill he sings On The Street Where You Live. His make-up and hair-styling are histrionic to a most appealing degree! And the way he delivers his lines and lyrics lift the show to heights of gala entertainment.Ĭolonel Pickering, Higgins’ friend and colleague, is played by Brian DiRito, who joins Higgins in the popular number The Rain In Spain.Īfter being introduced to society, Liza sings I Could Have Danced All Night, expressing her happiness and hopes for a new life. Casuala is a most appealing, strong actor every line he delivers is forceful, and entertaining. Liza’s father, Alfred Doolittle, played by Nic Casuala, sings With a Little Bit Of Luck, as he deals with his living problems in London. Outside his home-office, in Covent Garden, Eliza Doolittle, played most charmingly, strongly, and convincingly by Chrissy Albanese, leads the ensemble in Wouldn’t It Be Loverly? With a lively, strong baritone, Sheehan opens the drama with the song Why Can’t the English. Michael Sheehan plays Henry Higgins, a rather snobbish aristocratic type, who conceives the project of turning a low-class young woman into a “lady”. The story is set in late Victorian England, an ideal time for social and class-conscious dramatics. Of course, the musical and the film are products of a time and civilization totally unlike that of Greek myth, so we have to adapt our expectations to those changes.īrian Swasey directs and choreographs the ABP production, and a magnificent theater-piece it is! Raymond Bailey is Musical Director he is the pianist in the three-piece ensemble, with Nick Allen on bass and Nate Gowen on drums. A reading of Shaw’s play before seeing the musical would certainly prepare the theater-goer. Later, Gabriel Pascal produced the motion picture Pygmalion.Ī worthwhile project for any serious student of musical theater would be the study of how impervious and impermeable to change the theme and characters were, and are. A few decades after that, in the 1960’s or early 70’s Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe wrote the book, lyrics, and music to their show. (Her name was not in the source consulted by the current reviewer.)Ī few thousand years later, in the early 20 th Century, George Bernard Shaw wrote the play Pygmalion. The goddess Venus brings the statue to life, in answer to his prayer, and Pygmalion and his beloved lived happily ever after. In Greek myth, Pygmalion, the grandfather of Adonis, sculpted an ivory statue of an ideal woman, with which, or whom, he fell in love. The show is a total delight, in all aspects of theater- acting, singing, orchestra, dancing, script, set, costumes, and, of course, direction.Īnother aspect of My Fair Lady is its evolution, with which the audience should be acquainted. I've always gone with friends (and when you register you can request to be seated together), but I think I'd probably have fun even going on my own as it's a great atmosphere for meeting new people and making friends.My Fair Lady Musical Theater Classic at Arundel Barn By Joseph MauroĪdrienne Grant, Producing Artistic Director at Arundel Barn Playhouse, advertises My Fair Lady as America’s all-time favorite musical, and the current production she is offering makes that claim easy to agree with. Though the set up of the class is that everyone paints the same piece and the instructor demonstrates how to paint that particular piece, they always encourage participants to express themselves in their paintings, to be unique, original, and to just relax and have fun! If you're not interested in painting what the instructor is painting, you can paint whatever you want! The atmosphere is laid back and very happy they play up-beat music and serve yummy refreshments. The teachers are so sweet, friendly, helpful, and supportive. The price is right (usually $35) and the experience is so much fun. I've now attended two paint nights at Muse and I can't say enough about what a great time and a great value it is! I am by no means a visual artist (seriously, not even a little), but this is a such a fun and simple way to tap into your creative side and I've just loved the pieces I've come home with.
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