Shows - My Fair Lady - June 1998

• Chairman's Welcome
• Storyline....
• Credits
• Cast of Characters
• Scenes
• Musical Numbers
• Production Team
• Orchestra

Chairman's Welcome

Good evening, ladies & gentlemen. I take great pleasure in welcoming you all to Crowthorne Musical Player's production of My Fair Lady, and I know that you will enjoy it every bit as much as we do.

As always, a huge amount of work goes into bringing you this show and I must take this opportunity to thank everyone, both on stage and behind the scenes who have helped with such enthusiasm and commitment. I would especially like to thank our Director, Maggie Uttley, and our Musical Director, Nick Austin, for their unending encouragement and hard work - even smiling (albeit through gritted teeth) when things did not go quite according to plan! I must also mention Richard Spong, our Stage Manager and his valiant crew, who work very hard during the lead up to the show and throughout each performance making sure that things appear and disappear when they should.

Thee is always a sense of achievement when we finally reach "show week" and can see the results of everyone's hard work, along with relief that we have actually reached the end of rehearsals! Most importantly, however, we all have a huge amount of fun along the way and enjoy ourselves immensely, as I hope you will too. Have a "loverly" evening!

Claire Lawson

Storyline....

The story of My Fair Lady, based on Bernard Shaw's play, "Pygmalion" is one of the best known and best loved musicals of all time.

It is the bewitching tale of a cockney flower girl's transformation from "guttersnipe&quit; to the pride of London high society.

When Professor Higgins stumbles upon Eliza Doolittle in Covent Garden, he claims that the only thing that separates her from the upper classes is her dreadful accent. Eliza, who dreams of becoming a lady in a flower shop, is convinced by his argument and seeks him out so that she can have lessons to help her "talk proper". When Eliza appears at his home, Higgins cannot resist making a bet that he could pass her off as a Duchess in a matter of weeks. Pickering, whilst intrigued, is not at all sure that this is a good idea, but agrees to supervise the experiment. Immediately, and without a thought for Eliza herself, Higgins begins his task.

Eliza, believing that this is the only way to achieve her dreams, works hard and puts up with Professor Higgins' constant rudeness.

Finally, late one night, Eliza manages to pronounce her vowels correctly. Higgins is delighted. He decides to try her out on polite society by introducing her at Ascot. Initially, all goes well, and Eliza's accent is impeccable. It is at Ascot that she meets Freddy Eynsford Hill, who quickly becomes besotted with her. He watches with bemused delight as Eliza strays from the permitted topics of conversation ..... and suddenly things do not quite go according to plan.

Undaunted, Professor Higgins decides that the time is right to present Eliza at the Embassy Ball. She is a huge success and is accepted by all as a true member of the aristocracy.

Higgins is thrilled with what he considers to be his own success. Amidst all the self congratulation, Eliza is forgotten. Hurt and angry, she leaves. She returns to Covent Garden, but quickly discovers that she no longer belongs there. Too eloquent for a flower girl, but lacking the breeding of the true upper classes, what is to become of her ... or of Professor Higgins?

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Credits

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Cast of Characters

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Scenes

Act One

Scene 1: Outside the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden.
Scene 2: Higgins study, Wimpole Street. The next day.
Scene 3: Tottenham Court Road. Three days later.
Scene 4: Higgins study. Later that afternoon.
Scene 5: At the race meeting, Ascot. A sunny June afternoon.
Scene 6: Outside Higgins house, Wimpole Street. Later that day.
Scene 7: Higgins' study. Evening. Six weeks later.
Scene 8: The Embassy Ballroom. Later the same evening.

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Musical Numbers

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Production Team

Orchestra

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